Predicted Lineup For Newcastle

The late game on Saturday will see Manchester City with an opportunity to put their Premier League trophy defense back on track. Last weekend was a slight disappointment for the Blues fans, although Wolves really played their part.

I had stated earlier that you could point to a couple of incidents which didn't go our way, but essentially Wolves played very well, and should be a test for other sides this season.
So, looking forward to Saturdays game, back at the Etihad, City fans will be expecting a reaction. Last season Manchester City beat their opponents 3-1 with a Sergio Aguero hat-trick.

Assisting Kun that day were Kevin De Bruyne and Leroy Sane, with Sergio completing his 3 goals from the penalty spot.

Pep Guardiola went with a 4-3-3 formation that day with Zinchenko as left back. It will be interesting to see how Pep lines up this time around with Benjamin Mendy available this time around. In his press conference Pep confirmed that his side faced no new injury concerns as the game approached.

He will, however, be without Kevin De Bruyne and Claudio Bravo for the fixture. Ederson was always going to start the game, so as far as that goes, nothing will change. The question is how will Manchester City line up for the rest of the field.

Will Pep go for three at the back or four? Certainly you might guess that Rafa Benitez would line his side up to be defensive for this game, as he did in the away fixture last season. Newcastle enjoyed less than 20% possession in the game in January, with only four shots on target.

If we expect a similar game then I would suggest City goes with Kyle Walker and Benjamin Mendy each side of Laporte and John Stones. Both the wide defenders will spend most of the game in the Newcastle half with Fernandinho dropping back to make it a back three if needed.

City v Newcastle: History Of The Fixture.

Ilkay Gundogan will join both Silva's in midfield as we look for players who can get the ball down and play in tight quarters. Bernardo and David Silva both have those great first touches and the ability to thread balls through tight spaces.

Up front I think you have to play both Gabby Jesus and Sergio Aguero. These two, if their movements are good, will look to pull defenders out from their positions and allow space in and behind.

Let me know what you think of the lineups and suggest your own.