Taking an in-depth have a look at our opponents this Saturday…
We head to St James’ Park for a 17:30 (UK) kick-off in opposition to Eddie Howe’s Newcastle United.
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After the ultimate worldwide break of 2025, it’s all eyes on membership soccer for the following few months in a pivotal run of video games.
The Blues are second within the Premier League, with 22 factors from 11 video games, trailing leaders Arsenal by 4 factors.
Newcastle have had a combined begin to the marketing campaign, with fortunes a lot better within the Champions League than domestically to date.
With the assistance of Opta knowledge, we take a more in-depth have a look at them…
Current type
Newcastle have but to completely hit their straps within the Premier League, profitable three, drawing three and shedding 5 up to now.
That has left them 14th because the desk begins to take form. With 12 factors to date, they’re nonetheless solely six factors off fifth place, so it will probably all flip round in a short time for the Magpies.
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And so they’ve proven within the Champions League they’ve the expertise to make it occur, profitable three of their 4 video games up till now and sitting in sixth.
The priority on Tyneside might be how they struggled to juggle the 2 competitions again in 2023/24.
They’ve opened the scoring of their final two league defeats and have by no means misplaced three video games in a row after taking the lead in every of them.
Most well-liked formation
It’s 4-3-3 or bust for Newcastle since Eddie Howe’s transfer to the north east.
They’ve had a rotated again 4 all through a lot of the season up to now, with full-backs like Dan Burn and Kieran Trippier tasked with contributing increased up the pitch.
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Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali and Joelinton are the popular midfield three when all are match and out there, with the trio taking it in turns to assault and sit deeper relying on the state of the sport.
Nick Woltemade has been undisputed first alternative up prime, with any of Anthony Gordon, Harvey Barnes, Jacob Murphy and Anthony Elanga to flank him.
Summer time exercise
The departure of Alexander Isak was a long-running saga that dominated a lot of the summer time from Newcastle’s perspective.
They stuffed that hole with Woltemade and Brentford’s Yoane Wissa, though the latter’s damage points have meant he’s but to kick a ball in anger for them.
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Elanga and Aston Villa’s Jacob Ramsey have been different addition in attacking areas, shining beforehand as winger and superior midfielders respectively.
Additional again, central defender Malick Thiaw was signed from AC Milan and goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale joined on mortgage from relegated Southampton.
Supervisor
Eddie Howe is broadly considered one of many Premier League’s finest coaches, with a protracted monitor file of enhancing gamers on the coaching floor.
He guided Bournemouth from the fourth tier all the way in which to the Premier League over two spells earlier than taking the job at St James’.
And there’s little question he’s been successful within the north east, qualifying for the Champions League twice and profitable the primary main trophy since 1955 with final season’s Carabao Cup.
He doesn’t have fond reminiscences of developing in opposition to us although, having received none of his 18 Premier League conferences with Metropolis – shedding 16 and drawing twice. It’s essentially the most a supervisor has confronted an opponent within the competitors with out ever profitable.
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Head-to-head file
We have now misplaced simply certainly one of our final 35 Premier League conferences with Newcastle United – a 2-1 defeat in January 2019.
Our 12 wins at St James’ Park is the joint-most we’ve received at an away floor within the Premier League, tied with Everton.
Of the 50 Premier League video games in complete we’ve performed, Metropolis have received 32 and scored 106 objectives, conceding simply 46.
How they rating their objectives
Newcastle’s 11 objectives up to now is just greater than three different groups – Wolves, Nottingham Forest and Leeds, who sit twentieth, nineteenth and sixteenth respectively.
They’ve created an xG of 13.2, which is the twelfth finest throughout the division – in order that they may very well be barely increased had they taken their probabilities.
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That continues to ring true whenever you see they’ve taken solely 30% of their Opta-defined ‘large probabilities’, which is the seventeenth finest within the division and have hit the woodwork 4 occasions, with solely three groups doing so extra.
Newcastle additionally want extra gamers to chip in with the goalscoring. Solely 5 gamers have netted within the league up to now, which is the fewest of any crew.
Whereas Metropolis are fast starters, scoring greater than anybody else within the first quarter-hour, Newcastle are good on the finish of the sport, scoring 4 occasions within the last quarter-hour.
When it comes to possession and creating probabilities, Newcastle are slap bang in the course of the league for passes per match, with a mean of 432, however they’re third for variety of crosses up to now, sending 178 into the field.
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All three of Nick Woltemade’s non-penalty objectives for Newcastle this season have been from first time photographs – solely Jean-Philippe Mateta (4) has scored extra with 100% of them coming from first time photographs.
How they defend
Metropolis have scored extra objectives and accomplished extra passes than anybody else, whereas sending the fewest crosses into the field.
That clearly makes our assault one thing Newcastle must make a plan for.
Nonetheless, they’re behind solely Arsenal and Metropolis by way of xG conceded – standing at 11.4.
That’s come by means of stopping photographs, with solely 118 on their objective up to now – the fifth finest within the Premier League.
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As they have a tendency to attain extra in a while, they’re additionally inclined on the again, conceding 10 of their 14 after the break.
Newcastle v metropolis app protection
Our official Man Metropolis app means that you can observe all the motion in a single place.
Minute-by-minute textual content updates will start in our Matchday Centre two hours earlier than kick-off, whereas our Matchday Dwell present will start at round 16:15 (UK).
Steve Howey and Rob Lee will be part of Natalie Pike as the previous gamers provide their skilled perception earlier than, throughout and after the motion.
Through the recreation you can even hearken to reside audio commentary from Alistair Mann and Michael Brown, whereas our textual content commentary continues.
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Be certain to have push notifications turned on, so that you might be alerted to key moments within the motion, together with objectives, crimson playing cards and the crew information.
A fast-hit 2-minute highlights bundle might be out there from 20:00 (UK) when you can sign-in to observe a free 8-minute edit from midnight.
In the meantime on CITY+, from midnight there’ll be our fashionable full-match replay in addition to our new prolonged highlights reel displaying the most effective 20 minutes of motion from the sport.