Pep Guardiola has made 9 adjustments to his Metropolis beginning line-up for tonight’s Premier League recreation in opposition to Newcastle United on the Etihad Stadium.
Solely Rayan Ait-Nouri and Omar Marmoush stay from the workforce that began the 2-0 FA Cup win over Salford Metropolis per week in the past.
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Erling Haaland is again to guide the assault, with Rodri and Gianluigi Donnarumma additionally returning to the beginning XI.
Goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli isn’t absolutely match and is changed within the squad by 19-year-old Jack Wint.
In the meantime, Max Alleyne and Nathan Ake miss out on choice, and Mateo Kovacic, Jeremy Doku and Josko Gvardiol stay sidelined by way of harm.
Victory this night would see Metropolis shut the hole on Arsenal on the prime of the Premier League desk to 2 factors forward of tomorrow’s north London derby on the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Groups
Manchester Metropolis XI: Donnarumma, Nunes, Dias, Guéhi, Ait-Nouri, Rodrigo, Bernardo (C), O’Reilly, Semenyo, Marmoush, Haaland
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Subs: Trafford, Reijnders, Stones, Cherki, Nico, Savinho, Khusanov, Foden, Lewis
Newcastle United XI: Pope, Trippier, Thiaw, Burn, Corridor, Tonali, Willock, Ramsey, Elanga, Gordon, Woltemade
Subs: Ruddy, Ramsdale, Joelinton, Barnes, Osula, J.Murphy, A. Murphy, Shahar, Neave
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Ways
It appears like a 4-3-3 formation for Metropolis this night.
Gianluigi Donnarumma is again in purpose. The Italian has been distinctive since arriving from Paris Saint-Germain in the summertime. He brings a presence and physicality that breads confidence.
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Matheus Nunes continues at right-back, the place his power and attacking impetus have been key this season, with Rayan Ait-Nouri on the left. Ruben Dias and Marc Guéhi begin collectively at centre-back.
Rodri will play within the holding function, with Bernardo Silva and Nico O’Reilly both facet of him in midfield.
And upfront, Metropolis look able to targets, with Antoine Semenyo and Omar Marmoush taking part in off Erling Haaland
Newcastle arrive on the Etihad Stadium filled with confidence after their 6-1 win over Qarabag within the Champions League play-off first leg in Baku.
That recreation noticed Anthony Gordon rating 4 instances, with the ahead in electrical kind on the night time. He’s one to observe for Metropolis this night.
Recreation 4
That is the fourth assembly between the 2 sides this season, with yet another set to come back.
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Newcastle received the reverse Premier League fixture at St James’ Park 2-1 again in November, however Metropolis have since come out on prime in each legs of the Carabao Cup semi-final.
A 2-0 win at St James’ Park due to targets from Antoine Semenyo and Rayan Cherki, after which an Omar Marmoush double and one other from Tijjani Reijnders on the Etihad secured a 5-1 mixture win to arrange a gathering with Arsenal within the showpiece Wembley ultimate in March.
And there will probably be a fifth instalment of this rivalry when the 2 sides meet in early March at St James’ Park within the FA Cup fifth spherical.
As Guardiola so typically says, our focus is solely on what Manchester Metropolis do on the pitch. We can’t management what our rivals do, and a method of taking issues game-by-game has served us effectively below the Catalan.
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Nevertheless, there may be undoubtedly added incentive this night on the Etihad. Victory for Metropolis over Newcastle – a facet we’re unbeaten in opposition to in our final 21 house matches within the league – would see us transfer simply two factors behind Premier League leaders Arsenal on the prime of the desk.
With Arsenal taking part in away at Tottenham tomorrow within the north London derby, a win for Metropolis right here would pile severe stress on the Gunners forward of that recreation.
Furthermore, with Aston Villa dropping factors earlier at present as they drew 1-1 at house to Leeds United, we now have an opportunity to place a five-point hole between us and Unai Emery’s facet in third.
It looks like a vital interval of the season.
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After final weekend’s 2-0 win over Salford Metropolis within the FA Cup, the squad got three days off to relaxation and get well, with no midweek recreation offering a uncommon alternative for a facet competing in all competitions to permit its gamers some downtime.
They have been suggested to modify off from soccer – eat effectively, sleep effectively, spend time with household and customarily loosen up away from the stresses and strains of the relentless fixture schedule.
However now it’s again to work. The video games are coming in fast, with Metropolis nonetheless competing for 4 trophies. And with simply three wins in our final eight Premier League video games, we now have to start out displaying extra consistency if we wish to finish the marketing campaign with the large prizes.
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Three factors tonight would really feel significantly large and ship a message to our rivals we’re able to compete.
Stats
Metropolis are unbeaten in our final 21 Premier League house video games in opposition to Newcastle, profitable every of the final 16. In English top-flight historical past, solely Everton have had an extended profitable house run in opposition to an opponent (22 vs Fulham between 1961 and 2018).
Newcastle want to full their first league double over Metropolis since 1983-84 (second tier), and first within the top-flight since 1955-56. Nevertheless, their 20 video games on the Etihad Stadium is probably the most a workforce has performed at a venue with out ever profitable in Premier League historical past (D2 L18).
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Manchester Metropolis have received our final six Premier League house video games in opposition to Newcastle with out conceding. In our top-flight historical past, solely in opposition to Stoke have we had an extended run of consecutive wins to nil (7 between 1982 and 2014).
Newcastle might full a league double over Metropolis, having misplaced each legs of their League Cup semi-final in opposition to them in January and February. The final facet to win each Premier League conferences in opposition to an opponent in a season once they’ve additionally misplaced two video games to them in different competitions was Manchester Metropolis in 2011-12 in opposition to Man Utd (misplaced in Group Protect and FA Cup).
Since conceding 4 targets in a 5-4 win over Fulham in December, Manchester Metropolis have solely conceded eight targets in 12 Premier League matches, the fewest of any facet in that point (MD15 onwards), with goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma stopping precisely three targets based mostly on his xGoT in that point (11 xGoT, 8 conceded).
Every of Newcastle’s final 9 Premier League away wins have been in opposition to groups beginning the day within the backside half of the desk. They’re winless in 10 on the highway in opposition to prime half groups (D3 L7) since a 3-1 win at Nottingham Forest in November 2024, whereas they’re winless in 37 at sides within the prime two (D5 L32) since a 3-1 win at Arsenal in December 2001.
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For the reason that 2010-11 season, English managers have taken cost of 76 away Premier League matches at Manchester Metropolis – just one has received, with Roy Hodgson main Crystal Palace to a 3-2 win in December 2018 (D8 L67).
Metropolis’s Omar Marmoush has scored 5 targets in his two house video games in opposition to Newcastle in all competitions, netting a hat-trick on this actual fixture final season, and a brace on this season’s EFL Cup semi-final.
Harvey Barnes scored each of Newcastle’s targets of their 2-1 win over Metropolis within the reverse fixture. The final Magpies participant to attain house and away in opposition to the Residents in the identical league season was Alan Shearer in 2004-05.
Phil Foden has been concerned in 99 Premier League targets (68 targets, 31 assists) and might be the sixth Man Metropolis participant to 100 purpose involvements. He could be the 18th youngest participant to this milestone total (25y 269d on the day of the sport), and second youngest for Man Metropolis behind Erling Haaland (24y 237d).
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Be at Metropolis v Nottingham Forest!
We welcome Forest to the Etihad Stadium at 19:30 (UK) on Wednesday 4 March.
And you’ll be there to see it as Pep Guardiola’s Metropolis proceed to chase Premier League glory.
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