Newcastle v Manchester City – Premier League match preview

A fond farewell for the summer
Champions League chasing Newcastle United play host to title chasing Manchester City tomorrow afternoon in our final home game of the season.

It’s a sell out and has been for a long time as fans take the last opportunity to get behind their team on home turf and pay tribute to what has been a stunning season.

Indeed it could yet get better. At this moment in time we are guaranteed to finish no lower than sixth, but a win against Manchester City would guarantee us fifth place and would ensure that Chelsea would be unable to finish above us, which would be staggering and unexpected if you cast your minds back to what everyone had in mind at the start of the season.

Win, lose or draw we’ve had a great season. We have European football to look forward to for the first time in years and a best league finish since the days of Sir Bobby Robson. A resounding success I’d say.

Newcastle

Cheik Tiote is fit to play despite suffering a head injury which required stitches at Stamford Bridge midweek while Danny Simpson will undergo a late fitness to see if he has shaken off the injury which removed his ever present tag on Wednesday night.

Peter Lovenkrands, Steven Taylor, Haris Vuckic and Sammy Ameobi are still injured and won’t be seen in black and white until next season, or in the case of Lovenkrands, perhaps never again.

Manchester City

David Silva is set to play despite carrying an ankle problem although Joe Hart could be forced to miss the match after picking up a foot injury in the 1-0 win over Manchester United. He will undergo a late fitness test to ascertain his fitness ahead of the match.

Previously…

Back in November we lost 3-1 to Manchester City at The Etihad, a score that was matched at St James’ Park when The Citizens travelled to Tyneside last season.

We have a dreadful recent record against City. Our last win came in 2005 when a certain little ratbag going by the name of Micahel Owen scored the winner but in ten Premier League games since then we’ve drawn twice and lost the other eight meetings between the two sides.

Tactics and team selection

I think the first thing to do is to keep things tight in the opening exchanges. Remember, all the pressure is on City so the longer we can keep them at bay and frustrate them the more they will feel it. Hopefully we can strike then, although conversely an early goal for us would have much the same effect.

With regard to tactics and team selection, we actually have a choice. Do we run with the 4-3-3 that won six games on the trot yet failed so spectacularly at Wigan? Or do we try the more conventional 4-4-2 which saw us grab an unexpected result at Chelsea in midweek.

Answers on a postcard please…

Match stats and facts

The last player to score against Newcastle on home turf was Nicklas Bendtner who converted from the penalty spot some 426 minutes of playing time ago.

Alan Pardew will be looking to guide Newcastle to a fifth consecutive home win for the first time in eight years.

Newcastle have won just one of eight final home games of the season since the start of the Premier League.

Newcastle are the only team who have scored more goals in the first half of a game (28) than they have in the second half a game (27) – one for those who claim we are slow starters…

Manchester City have scored more goal from corners (14) than any other team this season.

This is the 165th meeting between the sides. Newcastle have won 70, Manchester City 56 and there have been 38 draws.

Final thought

Wouldn’t it be nice to end the home season with a win? There is a lot of focus on this match what with Manchester City and the title race, but sod that I say! We have our own reasons for wanting to win this game so should try our level best to do so.

If we don’t will it take the shine away from a wonderful season? Not a chance, but it will continue our flirt with Champions League qualification and will put more pressure on those above us heading into the final round of games next weekend.

That has to be an incentive surely?

Howay the lads!

Date: Sunday, 6th May, 2012

Kick-off: 1:30pm, live on Sky

Venue:St James’ Park

About toonsy

A lifelong Newcastle fan and current webmaster of this very 'blog who has the sole aim of creating a place by Newcastle United fans, for Newcastle United fans.

123 thoughts on “Newcastle v Manchester City – Premier League match preview

  1. Plus, maybe with Cisse on hand Ranger will finally learn the art of finishing… 😆

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  2. Stu I agree mate because atm with our team we can be a match for anyone.

    AOD ranger can wear what ever t’shirt he wants but he still looks like a silly little ****** in that pic 😆

    TLR im sure if he has changed etc we will soon know as im sure Pards would give him another chance

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  3. We are deplorable in cup competitions. We get worse every year. I have no hope we’ll ever win a trophy in my life time.

    Qualifying for Europe is the trophy we can hope for.

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  4. Will Xisco change. 😆 😆

    If both Xisco and ranger does change.

    God we have two new player.

    Though i must say,whenever Xisco plays,he somehow contribute.

    An assist for carroll goal last season,a debut goal against Hull. 😐

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  5. Funky-Know what you mean, there’s summit wrong with our mentality. Still, all we need is to continuously draw Premiership teams and we’ll win one one day imo……. 🙄

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  6. 3 HOURS WASTED

    3 hours w I was at that game too. brass bands, police dogs, they really pushed the boat out, and it was a good game anall, even tho we lost.

    3 hours wasted

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  7. Newkie,

    It isn’t in this club’s DNA. We ALWAYS lose to teams in lower divisions. It doesn’t matter who or what division, if they are beneath us, they will beat us.

    This team has done incredible but as has always been the case, there is an ego that has this “turn up and just win by default” attitude that always costs us cup matches and has done so a few times in the league this season too, such as Wigan.

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  8. That was a good result for us. Liverpool won’t want to be turned over by them again on their own patch and will fight to redeem themselves. They should at least get a draw and that would leave us only needing a point to secure 5th. Fantastic season that would be.

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  9. My opinion has changed today all on the Arsenal result. If Arsenal had won, we would have been as well losing to Man City tomorrow and stopping Man Utd winning the league again.

    Now since Arsenal has flopped and we can go above them with a win tomorrow, we need to do whatever is takes to get the win. 3rd really is possible and if we aim for that, 4th may well come as default.

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  10. See Carroll and Enrique have won yet another medal with Liverpool …. LOOZAS!!!!!! 😆 😆 😆 Oh I am so pleased, I may not have mentioned this before but I really HATE Liverpool!!!!

    My main hope for tomorrow is obviously 3 points, however I really hope and fully expect the Geordie faithful who can be there tomorrow to sing their hearts out regardless. To fully show our appreciation of what the players, manager and coaches have achieved.

    I would happily take a draw now … Come on boys, sign us off in style

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  11. Results were perfect for me today, I’m now hoping for us to finish third, chelsea to win the CL(di matteo deserves to keep his job) which will mean both **** and floppy chops united will miss out, bringing on the surge of players leaving. Goodbye Bale, Modric, VDV, Vermaelen, Walker and goodbye RVP.

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  12. Don’t think we’ll finish 3rd though, reckon we’ll manage to beat city tomorrow, bringing the hope, followed by a thrashing by everton next sunday 🙄 😥

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  13. ‎”With this policy Newcastle will never fight for top 6 again I am leaving for a club that can achieve these goals”

    “Have you seen my league cup winners medal, Mr Del Bosque?”

    “Am I to presume your total disinterest in my league cup winners medal also means you are not interested in calling me up for the Euros?”

    “Why do you keep calling it the Milk Cup, Mr Del Bosque?”

    “So if Alba, Monreal and Capdevila all get injured you might call me and I am not to call you again? Capdevila hasn’t even kicked a ball for Benfica this season!”

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  14. to quote an owld sauce.
    ” I’ll bare my **** in fenwicks window if we win tomorrow”.
    Sorry, but I just got a bad feelin about this one. Soooooo hope I’m wrong like.

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  15. wow carroll and enrique sure are racking in some SILVERware…. hate liverdrop with a passion so serves them right to “win” a silvermedal.

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  16. Just downloaded SKYGO for me iphone so I can ch some of the match tomorrow on my lunch break :mrgreen:

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  17. betting odds for the match
    City to win 8/11
    NUFC to win 4/1
    Draw 11/4
    Even the bookies dont give us much chance, 😯
    This plays right into our hands, as tbh we dont play so good when we are odds on favs. 😆

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  18. I thought judas had a good game when he came on this evening.
    Really glad he didn’t start the match 😆
    WTF was all that suarez finger pointing **** about.?
    I so hope he gets a FA fine and 8 match ban. Horrible little **** that he is.
    Also Dogleash not wearing a suit, at the FA cup final 😈 👿
    Classless TRAMP.

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  19. Good luck with that Andy lad. 3-2 😕 dont know if me old ticker could take it 😆

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  20. Good Afternoon lads.. Would I be too optimistic to say that I genuinely believe we will win tomorrow? 😈

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  21. Manassas – either that, or some might venture to even call you deluded 😯
    Hope you’re right tho :mrgreen:

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  22. 👿 👿 👿
    My dad’s being a douche and is saying I’m not allowed to get SKYGO, with no bloody rational argument as to why 😡 😡 😥

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  23. I think I am deluded in so many ways but thats why Im a Toon fan :twisted:. I just have a good feeling about this and ill even go far enough to say that Ba will score the winner :razz:. Thats just me and my dreams though :mrgreen:

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  24. 4-3-3 against Mancini’s 4-2-3-1 means a series of 1 on 1 matchups. While I rate our squad, I think this would be playing right into City’s hands. The compact, direct 4-4-2 has given the big teams problems this season, and should be used even if it means benching Ben Arfa.

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  25. Ben Arfa will definitely NOT be benches. He’s capable of too much magic, regardless of his starting position

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  26. Totally agree Andrew, plus he has been defending like a trojan too.
    He has to start for me.
    I will also be happy to see Perch starting at RB instead of Simmo.
    Up early this morning, can’t wait for kickoff.
    Howay the Lads.

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  27. Pretty sure Pardew said he’ll be playing the same team vs City. Would like to see us lining up in a 4-3-3 again, but 4-2-2 seems to be very effective vs the big teams. Looking forward to seeing what Pardew decides. In Pards we trust.

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  28. If I’m this bad now, I’ll be in tatters by the time ko gets here.
    It’s ganna be a long 4h 20 mins

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  29. I’m looking forward to the game and I’m not looking forward to it – if you get what I mean?

    This game is set up perfectly but it’s in our DNA that we fall at final hurdles. Maybe time to change that history…

    HWTL

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