Ace Football previews the Premier League match between Manchester City and Newcastle United, and offers betting tips, odds, line-ups, and team news.
Manchester City and Newcastle United lock horns at the Etihad Stadium for a Boxing Day clash in the Premier League.
The two sides head into the counter on the back of contrasting fortunes in their respective Carabao Cup quarter-final matches. A 4-1 win over Arsenal secured City’s passage to the last-four. Newcastle, however, lost 1-0 to Championship side Brentford to bow out of the competition.
The visitors are also five points and places behind City in 13th-place in the Premier League standings on 18 points from 13 games.
Newcastle will now head to the Etihad eager to bounce back from this setback. Although their recent head-to-head record against the Citizens, on top of struggles on the road, suggests a routine home win is on offer.
Manchester City Form & Stats
Pep Guardiola’s side enter their Boxing Day fixture on the back of consecutive away wins over Southampton and Arsenal. Putting four goals past the latter on Tuesday would’ve been particularly satisfying, as goalscoring hasn’t exactly been their strong point.
City only have the Premier League’s 11th-best offensive record this season on 19 goals. In fact, they’ve only won by a two-goal margin or more in just three of their 13 league games so far. And while star striker Sergio Aguero has returned from injury, he is yet to recover his best form.
On the bright side, however, the Citizens have improved defensively. The summer signing of Ruben Dias appears to have played a big role in this change, with just six goals conceded in his 11 league appearances. In fact, the club boast the league’s best defensive record overall.
Guardiola’s side will now hope to extend their nine-match unbeaten run on Saturday ahead of a challenging run of trips to Everton, Chelsea, and Manchester United across the next 11 days.
Key Team Stats
- Unbeaten in their last 9 games in all competitions (W6 D3).
- Won 10 of their last 13 home league games (D2 L1).
- Won to nil in 9 of their last 10 home league wins.
- Over 1.5 first half goals in their last 4 home league games.
- Best defensive record in the league on 12 goals conceded in 13 games.
- Sergio Aguero has scored 15 goals in his 13 league games against Newcastle.
Newcastle United Form & Stats
The pressure is on for Steve Bruce to bag a result on Boxing Day after Newcastle’s disappointing EFL Cup quarter-final loss to Brentford. Josh Dasilva’s second-half goal was enough to seal victory for the Championship club.
Opinion, therefore, remains divided on Bruce’s reign at St James’ Park. But the Magpies boss will probably welcome the break from cup action that the Brentford defeat brings, enabling him to focus fully on the Premier League campaign.
It’s been another mixed season to say the least. Newcastle are eight points above the relegation zone in 12th-place, but they’ve struggled for consistency and have only bagged back-to-back wins once.
Despite losing two of their last three away league games, though, Newcastle have held Tottenham and Wolves to 1-1 draws on the road. 2-0 victories over West Ham and more recently Crystal Palace have all come away from home as well.
Key Team Stats
- Lost 2 of their last 3 away league games (W1).
- Scored in 5 of their 6 away league games this season.
- BTTS in 8 of their last 11 league games.
- Lost all 5 of their away league games against Manchester City.
Team News
Manchester City: Eric Garcia (out), Gabriel Jesus (COVID-19), Kyle Walker (COVID-19).
Newcastle: Martin Dubravka (calf), Allan Saint-Maximin (COVID-19), Jamal Lascelles (COVID-19), Javier Manquillo (COVID-19), Fabian Schar (COVID-19), Federico Fernandez (doubt).
Predicted Line-ups
(Note: The image will change to the official XI once they’re both announced)
Top Goalscorers in Premier League
Head-To-Head Record
Below are some head-to-head stats on each team’s recent form in the Premier League.
Match Facts
Betting Tips
More Odds
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