Newcastle United, currently 6th in the Premier League, has been one of the league’s top challengers in recent seasons.
Last year, they secured a Champions League spot but finished 4th in their group, which included Paris Saint-Germain, managing only 5 points and exiting at the group stage.
In the 2024-25 Premier League season, Newcastle has started solidly, holding onto 6th place. They opened with a 1-0 victory over Southampton, followed by a 1-1 draw with Bournemouth, a 2-1 win over Tottenham, and another 2-1 success at Wolverhampton. However, their momentum was halted by a 3-1 defeat to Fulham in their fifth match.
On the other hand, Manchester City, the league leaders, recently faced Arsenal in a highly anticipated match.
City took the lead early with Erling Haaland scoring in the 9th minute, but Arsenal responded quickly with Calafiori equalizing 10 minutes later. Arsenal then took the lead just before halftime with a header from Gabriel.
Arsenal’s Leandro Trossard received a red card before halftime, leaving his team to defend with 10 men for the second half. Despite their efforts, City managed to equalize with a dramatic stoppage-time goal from John Stones in the 95th minute, resulting in a 2-2 draw. Despite the draw, City remains at the top of the Premier League with 13 points.
During the transfer window, Newcastle retained a firm grip on their squad, selling Eliot Anderson to Nottingham Forest for €42 million and Yankuba Minteh to Brighton for €35 million.
On the incoming side, they signed Lewis Hall from Chelsea (€33 million), Kelly from Bournemouth (free transfer), and Vlachodimos from Nottingham Forest (€23 million). However, none of these new signings have yet secured a place in the starting lineup.
Key players like defender Sven Botman, super-sub Callum Wilson, rising midfielder Lewis Miley, and former captain Jamaal Lascelles are still out due to injuries. Harvey Barnes has been a bright spot for Newcastle, scoring 3 goals this season, including their lone goal in the defeat to Fulham.
For Manchester City, the summer transfer window was relatively calm. Their major signing was Savinho (€35 million), who contributed to Haaland’s goal against Arsenal.
Notable exits include Julian Alvarez, who joined Atlético Madrid for €75 million, Joao Cancelo’s move to Al-Hilal for €23 million, and Kalvin Phillips going on loan to Ipswich. Haaland has continued his prolific form, scoring 10 goals already this season, while Savinho has provided 3 assists.
City is managing injuries, with Nathan Aké and Oscar Bobb still recovering, and they are hopeful that Kevin de Bruyne, who missed the Arsenal match, will return soon.
Prediction
Over 2.5 goals have been scored in 13 of Manchester City’s last 16 away Premier League matches, and their last seven games have followed this trend.
Newcastle’s previous 15 home games have also seen 12 matches with over 2.5 goals. Based on these trends, another high-scoring contest seems likely.
Prediction: Newcastle 1 – 2 Manchester City
