The State of Play
Newcastle earned a morale-boosting derby win at Sunderland last weekend, thanks to a brace from Sweden striker Alexander Isak.
The Magpies needed that victory after struggling in the Premier League of late. Eddie Howe’s men have slipped to ninth on the back of a run of one win in six league games.
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Reigning FA Cup champions Man City effortlessly advanced to the fourth round by defeating Championship side Huddersfield Town 5-0 at the Etihad Stadium last weekend, extending their unbeaten streak to eight matches across all competitions.
Despite a challenging period towards the end of 2023, the reigning world champions have experienced a remarkable turnaround in recent weeks, securing victories in each of their last five matches across all competitions, with an aggregate score of 17-1.
Team News
Newcastle have been dealt a blow with the news Brazil midfielder Joelinton will miss a minimum of six weeks with a quad injury.
Nick Pope, Joe Willock, Harvey Barnes and Matt Targett remain unavailable due to injury, while Sandro Tonali is suspended.
Pep Guardiola could have Kevin De Bruyne back in from the start. The Belgium star made his comeback against Huddersfield off the bench having not played since the season’s opening day because of a hamstring injury.
Jack Grealish is likely to be fit having been hit with a bug but Erling Haaland and John Stones remain on the treatment table.
Expected Line-ups
Newcastle United: Dubravka; Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn; Miley, Guimaraes, Longstaff; Almiron, Isak, Gordon
Manchester City: Ederson; Walker, Dias, Ake, Gvardiol; Kovacic, Rodri; Bernardo, Foden, Doku; Alvarez
What they Said
Pep Guardiola on Kevin De Bruyne’s current condition:
“He’s getting better, we have a game and then a few days off, he will train a little bit. After, we will go altogether for four or five training sessions in Abu Dhabi and that will help him to be better for the next games.”
Eddie Howe on Joelinton
“It’s a real blow for us as he’s a key player. He’s had a stop-start season unfortunately. He was so consistent last year but he’s had a few different problems [this year].”
“There is nobody like Joelinton, so this is a big one. Joey has got a problem with his tendon in his quad. It’s a difficult place to get an injury hence the reason why he’s out. He’s very disappointed and we’ve been trying to pick him up. Joey’s injury is a freak one where he’s standing up and been caught off balance.”
PEP 💬 I saw him [Kevin De Bruyne] yesterday and he feels good and dynamic. He played well, better than the sessions before Huddersfield… He’s getting better. He had a few days off then trained, then we have warm weather training in Abu Dhabi which [will] help him prepare. PIC.TWITTER.COM/CEJ1XAIHYM
— Manchester City (@ManCity) JANUARY 12, 2024
When and How to Watch
This match will be televised live on TNT Sports, and can be streamed on discovery+.
Prediction
The FA Cup win at Sunderland helped gloss over some of Newcastle’s recent problems. And with Joelinton missing, there is the potential for the home midfield to be overrun.
City are starting to purr and with De Bruyne back – even if it’s from the bench – they have the firepower to overcome Newcastle.
Expect an away win.
