The reigning Premier League champions have not hit a snag so far. Which once again proves to be the ideal habitat for Manchester City and their coach Pep Guardiola, as usual relentless when it comes to facing lower-ranked teams. Yet the season had not started in the best of ways: the clear defeat in the Community Shield against Liverpool demanded a storming start in the league. And De Bruyne and his team-mates did not let themselves be told twice. After the comfortable 0-2 win in London against West Ham, the Citizens literally strolled over the newly promoted Bournemouth, who were stunned 4-0 at the Etihad in a match in which the deficit could have been much bigger. Six goals conceded and zero conceded for one of the two teams still on full points – the other being Arsenal, who yesterday secured their third win in a row.
Results made all the more precious by the two half-steps of Liverpool, who are still the most accredited rivals in the title fight. The Reds drew with Fulham and Crystal Palace and tomorrow they will be engaged at Old Trafford against Manchester United. In short, there is a real possibility of accumulating a considerable lead already after the first three days. The away trip that Guardiola and his men will have to face, however, is by no means an easy one. They will be guests of Newcastle, a club that after being bought by the very rich Arab fund Pif dreams of a rise similar to that of City itself.
The Magpies were further reinforced in the summer, although they still lack a striker of weight. It is no coincidence that Eddie Howe’s men are so far averaging a less than exciting one goal per game: Schar and Wilson’s goals on matchday one earned them three points against Nottingham Forest, while the Bianconeri’s attack ran out of fuel in last Saturday’s white-net against Brighton.
Trippier and Schar ©️Ansafoto
The Prediction
Both are the only teams not to have conceded a goal in the first 180 of the new Premier League but the feeling is that in this match they will struggle to keep their goals unbroken. Manchester City don’t usually slip up in games like this and it’s hard to imagine a result other than a win for them, but it’s not out of the question that Newcastle could score at least one goal in the St James’ Park encounter.
Newcastle v Manchester City matchday squad
NEWCASTLE (4-5-1): Pope; Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn; Almiron, Joelinton, Guimaraes, Willock, Saint-Maximin; Wilson.
MANCHESTER CITY (4-3-3): Ederson; Walker, Dias, Aké, Cancelo; De Bruyne, Rodri, Gundogan; Mahrez, Haaland, Foden.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-2
