The race for the Premier League title intensifies with each round. The defending champions continue to put pressure on table top Arsenal, especially after a convincing 4:1 win over Bournemouth last weekend. Moreover, the team easily beat Bristol City (3:0) in the FA Cup, which will give a good mood for this duel for Pep Guardiola’s wards. The Citizens continue to hunt for the title despite their current points total of 55 after 25 games being the lowest in all but one of their previous five Premier League campaigns. One exception was in the 2019/20 season, in which they failed to lift the main trophy of England. Historical trends are likely to be the last thing on Guardiola’s mind as he prepares to face a side that City have beaten in 13 consecutive Premier League home games, while another win here would set the joint record for longest winning streak in a single game tournament. Mendy, Laporte and Stones, who has a hip injury, will not be able to play today.
This season you can see a completely different Newcastle squad compared to many that City have played with over the years. This is evidenced by the struggle of guests for places in the UEFA Champions League this season. The team missed out on the League Cup title last weekend, although away form seemed unbeatable with eight away matches without defeat, the longest streak in the club’s history. In addition, Eddie Howe’s wards broke six consecutive defeats with today’s opponent in the first round, when they played with the Mancunians in a draw. On account of the northerners there are ten wins and 11 draws, which corresponds to 41 points and so far the fifth position in the standings. It should be noted the best defense in the league, which conceded only 15 times. Today the Swedish football player Kraft, who has a knee injury, will not be able to help his team.
