Newcastle United are preparing for a ‘massive’ game against Manchester City on Saturday.
That is the view of Paul Merson, who has predicted which side will come out on top when Manchester City arrive at St James’ Park this weekend.
It is going to be a very tough game for Newcastle United, even if Manchester City are without Rodri due to injury. His absence will hurt Pep Guardiola’s side, but the bigger concern is Newcastle’s lack of form.
Last week, Merson predicted that Newcastle would lose against Fulham. He was right, with the Magpies falling to a 3-1 defeat.
Alan Shearer said Newcastle were ‘awful’ against Fulham, and that is why some fans will be fearful about this weekend’s game against the Premier League champions.
However, Newcastle will be boosted by the fact they are at home. Eddie Howe has only lost once at St James’ Park in 2024. Sadly, that was against Manchester City back in January…
Paul Merson predicts Newcastle United to lose against Manchester City
While Newcastle’s home record is excellent, Paul Merson has told Sportskeeda that he thinks Eddie Howe’s side will lose to Manchester City on Saturday.
“This is a massive game for Newcastle at home, especially since they had a bad result last time around at Fulham,” he said.
“Before that trip to Craven Cottage, you’d have looked at the table and thought they’re decent with 10 points from four games. But it truly seems like an oversight now; I predicted them to lose against Fulham and that’s exactly what happened.
“Honestly, if we analyse Newcastle game-by-game, they’d have no points because they haven’t been good enough. They were well beaten by Fulham in the end, it was just a matter of time. If they play like that against Manchester City, they are going to get destroyed. Now if that happens, suddenly, they have a problem. Newcastle’s next three fixtures are away at Everton, Brighton at home and Chelsea away – that’s not an easy run. That could end up looking like a really bad run, if they continue to play like this.
“Manchester City will miss Rodri. He’s the player who knits everyone together. I don’t see his absence becoming an immediate problem for City in the next few fixtures. But certainly, over the course of 50 games this season, it will take a toll. Pep Guardiola and company should be fairly comfortable here, though. I predict an easy win with a clean sheet.”
Merson’s prediction: Newcastle 0 Manchester City 3
Newcastle have played well against Man City at St James’ Park recently
When you look at Newcastle’s recent form in the Premier League, it is no surprise that Merson has tipped Man City to win handsomely.
However, Howe will take confidence from the fact that his side have played very well on the last three occasions that Manchester City have been to St James’ Park.
In August 2022, they played out a 3-3 draw. Newcastle went toe-to-toe with Manchester City that day, with Kieran Trippier scoring a stunning free-kick. We also saw Allan Saint-Maximin torment Kyle Walker, which is something that not many wingers do.
The next meeting was in September 2023 in the Carabao Cup. Newcastle played in a very different way, but were able pick up a victory. Alexander Isak scored the only goal of the game as the Magpies advanced to the next round, while Tino Livramento dazzled on his first start for the club.
And the last time Newcastle played against Man City at St James’ Park was January 2024. Guardiola’s side won 3-2 that day, with Oscar Bobb scoring a last-minute winner. But the result did not tell the whole story, with Newcastle’s pace on the break causing Man City a lot of problems.
Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon played very well that night, and Eddie Howe will be keen for them to do the same on Saturday.
Receive a digest of our best Newcastle content each week direct to your mailbox
