Man City just cannot seem to ride their luck in the Champions League, as this time, they have been knocked out in the semi-final by Real Madrid.
Pep Guardiola’s side looked almost certain to reach the final but then Madrid turned up the heat and the Man City players did not have an answer. This European exit will obviously be a heart-break for City but they don’t have any time to repent because they still need to wrap up the Premier League title
Manchester City are the current league leaders with just one point and next up, they take on Newcastle United at home. The Magpies have massively improved under their new manager so this ain’t going to be a walk in the park of the Etihad outfit.
City will no doubt be the favourites on Sunday but Newcastle United have suffered just a single defeat in their previous five matches and that was a close 1-0 loss to Liverpool last weekend.
Man City injury updates vs Newcastle United:
Firstly, Pep Guardiola will have to get rid of all the nightmares from the Real Madrid game because it will take only one lapse of concentration for Liverpool to catch up with them.
The Man City manager cannot afford to rest any players despite them playing for 120 minutes on Wednesday night and this is a cause of concern for him because there are a few players who are running on the edge.
Kevin De Bruyne is one such player who was taken off during the Real Madrid game and immediately, there were fears of an injury. No such reports have come out since that day so it’s safe to say that the playmaker’s substitution was just a tactical one.
No manager has lost more Champions League semifinals than Pep Guardiola (6) 💀 pic.twitter.com/8SzPYcF4YU
— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) May 5, 2022
Kyle Walker was not that lucky as he suffered a knee injury in the 2nd leg and is almost certain to miss out this weekend. Walker’s absence means Cancelo will move to the right-hand side and Zinchenko will operate on the left.
John Stones also missed the midweek game due to muscle injury but there’s a small chance that he could make a comeback into the side against Newcastle United.
Gundogan came on as a sub on Wednesday night but could replace Bernardo Silva on Sunday. Silva played the full 120 minutes against Madrid so the Portuguese deserves a rest.
A word from the boss ahead of this weekend's @premierleague clash with Newcastle 🗣#ManCity pic.twitter.com/kvTZK7ZZtC
— Manchester City (@ManCity) May 6, 2022
After playing with Jesus as his centre-forward over the previous few matches, Pep Guardiola is likely to switch back to his false-nine system once again.
Sterling should come into that role, replacing Gabriel Jesus while Phil Foden will make way for Jack Grealish. Grealish has been a hit-and-miss this season but after such an intense semi-final second leg, the Man City has no other option but to rest some of his starters from that match.
Man City predicted line up vs Newcastle United:
Predicted XI(4-3-3): Ederson; Cancelo, Zinchenko, Ruben Dias, John Stones/Laporte; Rodri, De Bruyne, Gundogan, Jack Grealish, Sterling, Riyad Mahrez.
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Stats via Fotmob
