Newcastle United will clash heads with Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday night looking to earn a result away from home. The Magpies suffered a disappointing 1-0 defeat away at Brentford in the EFL Cup quarterfinals earlier this week which won’t do their confidence any good ahead of this weekend’s league clash at Manchester.
Steve Bruce will probably go with the 3-5-1-1 formation as he looks to set his team up in a way that would make them hard to beat. Paul Dummett is expected to return to Bruce’s first-team after he was rested in midweek while Sean Longstaff settles for a place on the bench.
3-5-1-1 Newcastle United Predicted Lineup To Face Manchester City
Defence
Karl Darlow will retain his spot in goal for the Magpies after shipping in one goal in each of his past two starts in domestic football. Bruce might opt for a back three of Federico Fernandez, Ciaran Clark and Paul Dummett as they try to stop Man City from creating too many chances in the final third.
However, Fernandez is a slight doubt for this game and will be in a race against time to be fit this weekend.
Midfield
Isaac Hayden and Jonjo Shelvey will sit deep and anchor the midfield while Miguel Almiron looks to make some driving runs in the opposition half. All three Newcastle midfielders will focus on halting Man City’s progress at the centre of the park and try to launch a few moves on the counter.
Jamal Lewis will operate as the left-sided wing-back while Emil Krafth hopes to put on a good show on the right flank. Joelinton could get the freedom to play in behind Callum Wilson as a secondary striker.
Sean Longstaff and Ryan Fraser will make up the numbers on the bench as they await their chance to make an impact in the second 45 minutes if required.
Attack
Callum Wilson will lead the charge for the Tyneside giants up top. The English marksman managed to find the back of the net and salvage a point for his team versus Fulham last weekend, so Bruce would be hoping that he can produce another goal-scoring performance on Saturday.
Andy Carroll and Dwight Gayle will have to be content with a spot on the bench but could come on to influence the game in the latter stages if Bruce decides to call upon their services.
