A few months ago, this might have felt like a potential title decider. Before the World Cup break, Newcastle United were a dark horse for the title, while Manchester City looked out of sorts. Now, the Citizens have the chance to keep pace with Arsenal at the top, knowing they have already gone to London and won.
If they see off a stuttering Newcastle team, the pressure is on at The Emirates.
Manchester City News
The home team will not be missing too many players, with only Aymeric Laporte and John Stones set to miss out. Laporte has missed much of the season, while Stones is also out after another injury-hit campaign. Outside of that, though, Pep Guardiola’s only concern will be picking the right team for the second leg against RB Leipzig.
Leipzig play on Friday, so expect Pep to ring the changes here ahead of a crucial week.
Newcastle United News
The Toon might not have many injuries, but they are likely to be missing a key player in Bruno Guimares. Having watched their team get beaten handily by Manchester United in the Carabao Cup Final, Newcastle need to find form again and fast.
They have been poor since the turn of the year, and have lost some pretty big matches. They arrive here with a fully fit team, but not much in the way of hope that they can pull off a meaningful upset against what looks to be the champions-elect.
Verdict
This should not be a tough game for City. Newcastle have seen the wheels fall off and, like many Eddie Howe sides in the past, appear to have run out of energy ahead of the second half of the season. It might be a tight game in terms of score, but City will have too much for a Newcastle team who look out of ideas.
SCORE: 3-1