The Man City view on ambitious Newcastle United and future hopes of winning Premier League title

Newcastle United take on one of Europe’s best when they travel to Manchester City on Sunday afternoon.

Although Eddie Howe’s side have nothing to play for in terms of their position in the Premier League table, Pep Guardiola’s side have everything to play for with the Premier League table title on the line.

And certainly, a reaction is expected from City, who were dumped out of the Champions League by Real Madrid in midweek at the semi-final stage.

NewcastleWorld caught up with ManchesterWorld’s Michael Plant for an opposition view on Man City:

Do you expect Man City to be a ‘wounded animal’ when they face Newcastle - and what could be the consequences?

MP: “City tend to play at a similar level in every game, whether they’ve won, lost or drawn before. They’ll dominate possession, switch the ball quickly and also look to exploit any gaps in the wide areas. But there might be just a tad more impetus from Pep Guardiola’s side, not even in response to the loss in midweek, but suddenly the Premier League is the only trophy City can win. One slip-up on Sunday could mean perhaps the best team in world football end the season without lifting silverware - utter madness!”

Could it work the other way, and could Newcastle catch City on an off-day?

MP: “Again, City’s levels so rarely drop. They are completely relentless in how they strangle the life out teams by dominating possession and winning the ball back immediately after losing it. City do, however, have two areas of vulnerability. Despite creating plenty of chances, at times the team just fail to hit the back of the net. The draw away to Crystal Palace in March was an example of that, and even the goalless stalemate against Southampton in September. City’s second flaw is an ability for teams to attack in behind given how high the defensive line is. There have been games this season where the champions have been well on top and suddenly the opposition are running at Ederson one on one. That was how Watford scored in the 5-1 win recently, while Totteham Hotspur exploited that space in behind as they beat City 3-2 earlier this season. If Newcastle can exploit any of these areas, they will have a much better chance of coming away with a result.”

Are Man City worried about Newcastle’s wealth and their ambition to eventually challenge for the Premier League title?

MP: “I don’t think it’s something that worries them right now or even into the next few years, but perhaps a few around the Etihad fear Newcastle could start to challenge by the end of the 2020s. Football is a very different playing field now to when City or Chelsea were bought over. Financial Fair Play, while far from watertight, limits teams’ spending powers, and owners have never been under more scrutiny than now. Despite that, Newcastle have to be taken seriously on a long-term basis. Guardiola could be gone in a little over a year, Jurgen Klopp will one day depart too. Chelsea and Manchester United also have questions around their futures, so perhaps there will be an opening for another side to break up that hegemony at the league’s summit.”

How do you expect Man City to line-up? Line-up, formation?

MP: “It’s difficult to guess Guardiola’s line-up at any stage, but I think there will be a little rest and rotation after that hugely taxing trip to Madrid. Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva both played the 120 minutes at the Bernabeu and it’s likely one will start on the bench. Meanwhile, Ilkay Gundogan, Raheem Sterling and Jack Grealish were named among the substitutes in midweek and could start. There will definitely be one change with Kyle Walker picking up another injury against Real Madrid - either Oleksandr Zinchenko or Nathan Ake will most likely come in at left-back - while John Stones remains a doubt. As for definite starters, I’d say Joao Cancelo, Aymeric Laporte, Rodri and Kevin De Bruyne look the most certain to feature.”

Can we push you for a score prediction?

MP: “It might be a difficult afternoon for Newcastle against a side who are so determined to win every game between now and the end of the season, and claim the title. I don’t see a huge amount of pace in the Magpies’ attack - excluding Allan Saint-Maximin, who is so hit and miss. So that takes away one of the real ways to get at City. It could be a convincing win for the hosts - I’ll say 3-0 for Guardiola’s men.”