A crucial clash in the race for Champions League qualification is set for Saturday at the Etihad Stadium. Manchester City will be eager to bounce back after their recent Champions League defeat against Real Madrid, while Newcastle will have the chance to overtake their rivals in the standings.
Right now, Guardiola’s squad is fifth in the EPL standings, with 41 points, the same as Newcastle, who is one place behind. The match at Etihad might have enormous implications for the final standings. Tiebreakers might be involved in the race for one of the top four places, and that’s what makes this event very interesting and important.
To be honest, we can’t tell who is in better form, because both teams oscillate a lot and know to disappoint when expected the least. We’ve seen both sides wasting points in unusual ways.
Manchester City VS Newcastle Preview
Concerns over Man City’s form were reinforced midweek when they surrendered a lead to Real Madrid, ultimately falling 3-2 in the first leg of their Champions League playoff. With their path to the next round uncertain, securing a top-four finish in the Premier League remains their best bet for Champions League qualification next season.
We need to add that City often blackouts during games this year, and this isn’t the first time they squandered a lead in derby matches. Just remember how they lost in Paris against PSG.
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— Manchester City (@ManCity) February 14, 2025
Their defense is terrible. Believe it or not, City has just two clean sheets in the last 10 games, and they allowed at least a goal in the previous six straight. Now, that’s terrible, knowing that the defense has been one of the pylons of their reign in England.
Newcastle shares the same goal: reaching the Champions League. The Magpies also set their sights on an EFL Cup final showdown with Liverpool. Eddie Howe’s side won three of its last five league matches, but it suffered a home defeat against Fulham in its previous EPL outing.
After that, we saw them beat Arsenal, 2-0 in the reverse leg of the EFL Cup, and beat Birmingham on the road in the FA Cup, 2-3. Four of the previous five games this unit played ended with goals on both ends, while seven in the latest 10 saw over 2.5 goals.
Newcastle had a very good stretch around the New Year, but that kind of faded when they lost the last two home EPL events against Fulham and Bournemouth.
Manchester City VS Newcastle Head-to-Head
City holds a strong historical advantage in this fixture, having lost just once in their last 34 Premier League meetings with Newcastle—their only defeat coming at St. James’ Park in January 2019. At home, their dominance is even more pronounced, with City winning the last 15 league encounters against the Magpies.
Newcastle, meanwhile, haven’t won a league match away at City in over two decades, with their last victory at Maine Road dating back to September 2000. However, they’ve been impressive on the road recently, winning four consecutive away matches. A win on Saturday would mark their first five-game away winning streak since October 1994.
Manchester City VS Newcastle Prediction
City’s overwhelming dominance in this fixture suggests they should be favorites, but their focus potentially divided ahead of their Champions League second leg against Real Madrid might distress their players ahead of this event. As for the guests, they will try to win here, no doubt, but we aren’t sure whether they have enough power. What is certain, in our opinion, is high efficiency because both teams have problems in the back line, unlike their attacks. That’s why we take both teams scoring here.
