Manchester City take on the visitors Newcastle in the round 27 match of English Premier League. The match will be played on Saturday, February 21st at Etihad Stadium (Manchester).
Manchester City do not want to end another season without trophies. The City have generally looked strong under Guardiola. Still, last season turned into a clear disappointment, with only third place in the Premier League, a defeat in the domestic cup final, and early exits from other competitions. Problems have not disappeared this year either. Yes, they reached the Champions League play-offs comfortably via a top-eight finish, and in the League Cup they made it to the final after eliminating Newcastle in the semi-finals. However, they still trail Arsenal in the league standings, the same opponent they will face in the cup final. The winter period was marked by too many dropped points, but recent wins over Liverpool and Fulham helped reduce the gap to the leaders to four points. That run has clearly revived their title hopes and added extra confidence ahead of this match.
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Newcastle United under Howe often show a decent level overall. Last season brought their first trophy in a very long time, even if it was “only” the League Cup. This time they reached the semi-finals while defending that title, eventually losing to City. More importantly, they managed to qualify for the Champions League play-offs, which already counts as a success. However, the demanding European schedule has taken its toll, with long trips and limited recovery time. Domestically, their Premier League form has been far weaker than last season, including losses to direct rivals like Brentford. At the same time, the recent win over Tottenham shows that the team can still raise its level in big matches.
In the last seven meetings, there have been five wins for the Citizens, with the Black and Whites winning only once during that span. The stronger side is playing at home. The pick here is Manchester City with a handicap of -1 goal.
Prediction for the match: Manchester City to win with -1.0 handicap.
