It is only the second weekend of the Premier League campaign, but already two of last season's top-four clubs are going head-to-head in a mouthwatering duel as Manchester City host Newcastle United.
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For Newcastle, after the high of their 5-1 home win over Aston Villa, this is a chance to test their credentials against the champions.
Overcoming a miserable record at the Etihad Stadium would show that they should indeed be considered title challengers, as Pep Guardiola claims they are.
Man City secured another trophy after last season's Treble as they won the UEFA Super Cup on Wednesday, beating Sevilla on penalties. The question is whether that success will take its toll against Newcastle, especially when combined with the absence of key players.
Team news
City's new defender Josko Gvardiol could make his first Premier League start after playing the full match against Sevilla. Guardiola will be without long-term absentee Kevin De Bruyne (hamstring), while John Stones is out of action with a muscular injury, and Bernardo Silva is recovering from illness.
Guardiola is uncertain if Ruben Dias is available for his first match of the season after recovering from a concussion.
For Newcastle, there are no fresh injury concerns. Emil Krafth and Joe Willock continue to be sidelined, with Javier Manquillo also out.
Last five meetings
4 Mar 2023: Man City 2-0 Newcastle
21 Aug 2022: Newcastle 3-3 Man City
8 May 2022: Man City 5-0 Newcastle
19 Dec 2021: Newcastle 0-4 Man City
14 May 2021: Newcastle 3-4 Man City
Key facts
- Man City have scored in each of their last 29 Premier League matches against Newcastle, a record for one side against another in the competition.
- The champions have won 21 of their last 23 Premier League matches at the Etihad Stadium, with the exceptions coming in consecutive matches against Brentford (lost 2-1) and Everton (drew 1-1) in November and December last season.
- Newcastle are looking for a first away win over City since a 1-0 victory at Maine Road in September 2000.
- The Magpies could win both of their opening two matches of a Premier League campaign for the first time since 1997/98.
See: Tonali the man to drive Newcastle forward
What the managers said
Pep Guardiola: “Eddie Howe has created a great team, in build-up, transitions and ball possession. It will be a massive test for us.
"If Newcastle handle the same competitions - the Champions League, the FA Cup, the Carabao Cup, the Premier League - if they handle it well, they can compete. But it’s completely different when you play one game a week and when you play four games a week. But if they are able to handle it, of course they are [title] contenders."
Eddie Howe: “We want our players to go there with all the positive emotions that our season last year and our first games of this season should bring.
“We have to be ourselves. We can’t change. We want to become a top team consistently in the Premier League and to do that, we have to have a clear identity and try to implement that on other teams.”
See: Did Burnley hand Howe a template to beat City?
Also in this series
Part 1: Spurs v Man Utd
