Man City vs Newcastle – Preview, Predictions and Best Bets

City hold a 2-0 first-leg lead. City have won 11 straight home matches vs Newcastle and are favoured to reach the final against Arsenal.

Man City Form

City’s form is somewhat iffy right now. Their last 10 matches in all competitions have seen just four wins with a paltry seven points from their last six EPL fixtures. After three straight draws in the league, they smashed Exeter 10-1 in the FA Cup. They won 2-0 away at Newcastle in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg.

A poor 2-0 loss away at Man Utd followed in the league. City lost 3-2 away to Bodo/Glimt in the Champions League before beating Wolves 2-0. They beat Galatasaray 2-0 in Europe before dropping more points in the league. A 2-0 lead at Tottenham turned into a 2-2 draw by full time.

Man City Team News

Pep Guardiola is without John Stones, Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol in defence. Dias is nearing a return to action. Mateo Kovacic will play no part in this match.

Further forward, Jeremy Doku and Savinho are out injured. Rayan Cherki should shake off a knock to play some part in the tie.

Man City Motivation

City are highly motivated to finish the job. They will try to win this second leg and reach yet another Carabao Cup final.

Guardiola’s side will look to control the match and not allow Newcastle any space to counter.

Newcastle Form

Newcastle’s last seven matches have yielded just one win. They have won just three of their 16 away matches this season across all competitions. A rare away win saw a 3-1 success at Burnley. A 2-0 home win vs Crystal Palace and a 4-3 home win over Leeds 4-3 followed. They drew 3-3 at home to Bournemouth in the FA Cup and progressed on penalties.

The Magpies lost 2-0 at home to Man City in their Carabao Cup semi-final first leg. A poor 0-0 draw away at Wolves preceded a 3-0 home win over PSV. They lost 2-0 at home to Aston Villa with 2.18 xG before an impressive 1-1 draw away to PSG in the Champions League. Their last match saw a 4-1 humbling away at Liverpool as their away-day woes continued.

Newcastle Team News

Fabian Schar, Tino Livramento and Emil Krafth are all ruled out in defence. Jamaal Lascelles has left the club to sign for Leicester. Sven Botman should be fit to return from a knock in defence.             

Joelinton will play no part in midfield. Bruno Guimaraes and Lewis Miley need late fitness tests to determine whether they can feature in this one.

Newcastle Motivation

Newcastle will have a go and try to overturn the 2-0 deficit. Eddie Howe’s side will have to try to press and attack City.

Their confidence is low on their travels. If they concede first, it may become about damage limitation and energy conservation.

Key Stats

• City have scored 37 goals in their last 10 EPL fixtures against the Toon
• Man City won their last 11 home matches vs Newcastle in all competitions
• Man City’s Haaland has scored just 2 goals in his last 11 matches
• Newcastle have failed to score in their last 7 trips to the Etihad
• Newcastle have lost 7 of their last 12 away matches (21 goals conceded)

Verdict

City should beat Newcastle in this second leg. Both sides are tipped to score on the night.

Best Bet: Man City win at 1.76

Value Bet: Man City win and both teams to score at 3.30