Manchester City v Newcastle LIVE: Premier League team news, line-ups and more today

City are aiming to win three home league matches in a row for the first time this season.

After a run of six consecutive league wins, Newcastle have lost two of their last three top-flight matches, but they could win five away league games in a row for the first time since 1994.

So no Botman today for Newcastle, with Dan Burn starting up against Haaland – those two have enjoyed good rivalries in the past.

The team are boosted by Wilson and Barnes on the bench after injuries.

His presence on the same pitch as Manchester City star Haaland, who has 27 goals this term, on Saturday will inevitably invite comparisons, but may also highlight Newcastle’s need to keep their most potent weapon.

So Guardiola brings in some fresh faces, with Abdukodir Khusanov, Omar Marmoush and Nico Gonzalez all starting – Gonzalez is making his first Premier League appearance. Ilkay Gundogan, Rico Lewis and Phil Foden all start as De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva drop to the bench, while Grealish and Akanji are out injured.

Ruben Dias and Nathan Ake are not even on the bench.

Man City: Ederson; Lewis, Khusanov, Stones, Gvardiol; Gonzalez, Gundogan, Foden; Marmoush, Savinho, Haaland.

Subs: Ortega, Kovacic, Doku, De Bruyne, Bernardo, Reis, Nunes, O’Reilly, McAtee.

Newcastle: Dubravka; Trippier, Schar, Burn, Hall; Tonali, Bruno, Willock; Murphy, Isak, Gordon.

Subs: Pope, Miley, Longstaff, Osula, Livramento, Barnes, Wilson, Targett, Krafth.

Line-ups should be released in around five minutes, so here’s a reminder of the early team news…

For Newcastle, Harvey Barnes is thought to still be a couple of weeks away from a return, while Joelinton is likely to be out until some point next month. The club are assessing the fitness of Sven Botman and Dan Burn, while Jamal Lascelles is the only long-term absentee. Anthony Gordon is fit to feature.

City will be forced to assess the fitness of Jack Grealish after he was forced off during the loss to Real Madrid in midweek. Manuel Akanji has been ruled out for up to two months.

New signing Nico Gonzalez was fit enough to be named on the bench against Madrid, so he should play a part today, while Jeremy Doku was also benched and could feature against the Magpies. Oscar Bobb is still some way off a return, while Rodri likely remains out for the rest of the season.

With both sides in the race for Europe, here’s a brief explanation on the race for the top five.

The race for the top four in the Premier League is often one of the most intriguing parts of the season as teams battle to qualify for the Champions League.

A place in Europe’s top club competition has long been the main reward for sides finishing second to fourth, but Champions League qualification could now include whichever team finishes in fifth in the 2024/25 season.

The Premier League is currently leading the race for one of the two ‘bonus’ spots that Uefa now award in the expanded Champions League format.

Newcastle have lost their past 15 Premier League away games against Manchester City, failing to score in any of the last five.

City have lost just one of their past 34 Premier League games against Newcastle (W27, D6), going down 2-1 at St James’ Park in January 2019.

The Switzerland international has learned he requires surgery after being forced off at half-time during City’s Champions League loss to Real Madrid on Tuesday.

Guardiola said he expected the player to be out for “eight to 10 weeks”.

He added: “We only wish the best recovery for Manu. The effort he has done this season has been unbelievable.”

It was a close match the last time these two sides met, with Newcastle forcing a 1-1 draw at St James’. Expect similar today, with Newcastle possessing plenty of attacking threat, though a return for Gonzalez could stabilise City’s midfield.

Manchester City 1-1 Newcastle.