Newcastle vs Manchester City LIVE commentary: Predicted lineups and latest news as the Magpies look to stop the ruthless champions

Newcastle host unbeaten Premier League champions Manchester City this weekend, live on talkSPORT.

The Toon's last two home league games with Pep GuardiolaThe team has seen 11 goals shared between the two.

However, despite being in sixth place, the Cartoon They have struggled to reach the heights they have shown under Eddie Howe So far this season.

The Magpies have looked weak defensively and lacked a clear plan on the ball and have relied heavily on individual moments of quality to win games, something Howe has admitted is not sustainable.

Meanwhile, City They are unbeaten in the league this season after narrowly avoiding defeat to Arsenal last week.

And the Citizens travel to Tyneside knowing they can extend their lead at the top of the table to four points before Arsenal and Liverpool play.

Newcastle vs Man City: How to deal with Rodri's absence?

City won their first three league games of the season without Rodri because he was given extra time off after helping Spain win Euro 2024.

He made his first top-flight start of the season in a 2-2 draw with Arsenal but left the field before half-time after an accidental collision with Thomas Partey caused him to twist his knee.

Since then, the Citizens have confirmed that the Spaniard has suffered a ligament injury and faces a long period of absence.

City's only defeats bar one last season came when Rodri was not playing, so for them to not have him available for months on end is going to be a real challenge.

The first test without him starts this weekend.

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• Newcastle have won just one of their last 33 Premier League games against Manchester City (D5 L27), a 2-1 home win in January 2019 under Rafael Benitez.
• Manchester City have scored in each of their last 31 Premier League games against Newcastle, the longest scoring run by either side against another in the competition's history.
• In their Premier League history, Manchester City have won more games (31), more away games (12) and scored more goals (101) against Newcastle than against any other opponent.

Newcastle vs Manchester City: date and how to follow

This Premier League match will take place on Saturday, September 28.

Kick-off at St James' Park is scheduled for 12:30pm

talkSPORT will have live and EXCLUSIVE coverage from the North East, with Reshmin Chowdhury as your presenter.

Commentary will be provided by Sam Matterface and English icon Stuart Pearce.

talkSPORT.com will also keep you up to date with our dedicated news stories. Premier League Blog.

To tune in to talkSPORT via the website, Click HERE for the live stream.

You can also listen through talkSPORT Appon DAB digital radio, through your smart speaker and on 1089 or 1053 AM.

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• Newcastle are unbeaten in their last 10 Premier League home games, winning six and drawing four. However, Manchester City were the last team to beat them at St James' Park (3-2 in January).
• Manchester City are unbeaten in their last 28 league games (W23 D5), with John Stones maintaining that run thanks to a 98th-minute equaliser against Arsenal last time out. 24 of those games have come in 2024, the longest run without a Premier League defeat at the start of a calendar year since Chelsea in 2008 (26).
• Newcastle have scored in each of their last 21 Premier League home games, dating back to a 0-0 draw with Leicester in May 2023. It is the longest home scoring run by any team in the competition.

Newcastle vs Manchester City: Team updates and expected lineups

The magpies are without Callum Wilsonwho has suffered a delay in his recovery due to a back injury.

The hosts also have three long-term injuries: Sven Botman, Jamaal Lascelles and Lewis Miley.

There are a few players who are certain to be starters for the Magpies, including Papa Nick, Fabian Schar, Dan BurnBruno Guimaraes and Alexander Isak.

In other areas of the field, however, Howe has some decisions to make.

At full-back, we are likely to see Lloyd Kelly and Valentino Livramento because they are better defensively than Kieran Trippier and Lewis Hall.

In midfield, Joelinton He could be replaced by Sean Longstaff after a string of poor performances, while Newcastle fans will be hoping Sandro Tonali finally starts.

On the left, Harvey Barnes has been the Toon's best player this year and is their top scorer with three, while Anthony Gordon will have to settle for a place on the right.

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In the meantime, City will have to find a way to cope without Rodri.

Oscar Bobb and Nathan Ake are also long-term injury concerns, but Kevin De Bruyne You have a chance to participate.

Again, there are some players who are sure to be starters, including Ederson, Erling Haaland and Mateo Kovacic.

Ruben Dias and Manuel Akanji They are likely to link up with each other in the heart of the defence.

Rico Lewis Should replace Kyle Walker at right-back after a poor performance by the experienced defender against Arsenal, while Josko Gvardiol He is City's main left-back at the moment.

If De Bruyne can't play, expect to see Ilkay Gündogan.

Phil Foden He could also get his first start of the season with Jack Grealish and Bernardo Silva Also playing.

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• Newcastle have conceded more shots from significant turnovers than any other Premier League team this season (15), while no team has scored more such goals so far than Manchester City (2).
• Manchester City have scored more goals (4) and taken more shots (40) from outside the box than any other Premier League side this season. 40% of their long-range attempts (16/40) came in the second half of their most recent game against Arsenal.
• Harvey Barnes has been directly involved in a goal in each of his last four Premier League games for Newcastle (3 goals, 1 assist), his best run in the top-flight. Overall, he averages a goal or assist every 87 minutes for the Magpies (8 goals, 4 assists in 1042 minutes), the best rate of any player at the club (min. 1000 minutes).
• Manchester City's Erling Haaland has scored 10 goals in five Premier League games this season, the earliest player to reach double figures since the start of a Premier League campaign. The Norwegian could become only the second player to score in each of a team's first six games in a Premier League season, after Sergio Aguero did so for the Citizens in 2019-20.

Newcastle vs Man City: What's been said?

Speaking after Manchester City's 2-1 win over Watford in the Carabao Cup, Guardiola revealed he would be without Rodri for some time.

He said: “We don't have a definitive diagnosis yet but he will be out for a long time, a while.

“But there are some opinions that it may be less than we expected.

“One doctor says the injury is big, very big; another, not so much.”