Manchester City travel to the North East for the dirty oil derby as they face Newcastle United at St James’s Park. The Blues are in good form going into the match, having comfortably beaten Liverpool in their
last outing. They sit four points behind Arsenal and will close the gap further with a win and the Gunners fail to beat Spurs in the North London derby.
After qualifying for the Champions League last season, Newcastle have struggled to make an impact, winning three and losing five of their first eleven Premier League matches, sitting just two points above the relegation zone. The Toon are flying high in the Champions League table, with three wins from four, but their league form is something of a concern.
Form
Newcastle started the season with one defeat and two draws before scraping a 1-0 home win over Wolves. They had to wait until October to record their second league win, a 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest, and beat Fulham 2-1 at St James’s Park at the end of October. They also lost a home match to Arsenal and if City beat them on Saturday evening, they will have lost at home to Arsenal, Liverpool and the Blues.
Newcastle are yet to win away, but at home, they have scored eight goals and conceded six in the league. They have scored in every home match this season in all competitions, keeping five clean sheets in the process.
Danger Men
German striker Nick Woltemade, who signed for Newcastle to replace Alexander Isak, has scored four goals so far this season and is currently Newcastle’s top scorer. He has featured in eight matches, and has a shot accuracy and goal conversion rate of 31% each. Bruno Guimarães has bagged three from and has a shot accuracy
The last time either of these two scored in the league was during a 2-1 home win over Fulham, with Guimarães scoring a 90th-minute winner. Woltemade’s last league goal was in the 2-1 defeat at Brighton in October.
The Boss
Eddie Howe is still the man in charge at St James’s Park, having taken the reins in 2021. He has overseen 190 matches, winning 96 and losing 54, giving him a win ratio of just over 50%.
Last Time Out
Last September, City went visited the North East and came back with a point following a 1-1 draw. Josko Gvardiol scored in the 35th minute but, in a match that saw four players from each side booked, Anthony Gordon’s 58th minute penalty secured a point for the hosts.
