Why is Manchester City vs Newcastle not on TV today? | OneFootball

Manchester City face Newcastle United in the Premier League today, with Pep Guardiola’s side looking to immediately bounce back from a bruising defeat in midweek.

City fell to a dramatic 3-2 loss in the final minutes of their Champions League play-off first leg against Real Madrid, and though the nature of the loss will worry Guardiola, aspects of City’s performance were encouraging enough.

But they face an altogether different test today, as they come up against a Newcastle side who they are level with on both points and goal difference.

Eddie Howe’s team are in buoyant mood after reaching the Carabao Cup final earlier this month, and they are looking for a win that would take them into the top five at City’s expense.

The match is not on TV in the UK, but you can watch highlights on Saturday night.

When is Manchester City vs Newcastle

The match kicks off at 3pm on Saturday, 15 February at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester.

Why is Manchester City vs Newcastle not on TV?

The match will not be shown live in the UK as it is being played on a Saturday at 3pm. The so-called 3pm “blackout” means that no matches are shown on TV across the country between 2.25pm and 5.25pm on a Saturday.

As regards the Premier League, only the 12.30pm and 5.30pm kick-offs are shown live in the UK.

Full highlights of the match can be viewed on BBC’s Match of the Day programme, which airs on BBC One at 10.25pm on Saturday.

What is the team news?

For Newcastle, Harvey Barnes is still a couple of weeks away from a return, while Joelinton is likely to be out until some point next month. The club are assessing the fitness of Sven Botman and Dan Burn, while Jamal Lascelles is the only long-term absentee. Anthony Gordon is fit to feature.

City will be forced to assess the fitness of Jack Grealish after both was forced off during the loss to Real Madrid in midweek. Manuel Akanji has been ruled out for up to two months.

New signing Nico Gonzalez was fit enough to be named on the bench against Madrid, so he should play a part today, while Jeremy Doku was also benched and could feature against the Magpies. Oscar Bobb is still some way off a return, while Rodri likely remains out for the rest of the season.

Man City XI: Ederson; Lewis, Dias, Ake, Gvardiol; Stones, Gonzalez; Savio, De Bruyne, Marmoush; Haaland.

Newcastle XI: Dubravka; Livramento, Schar, Botman, Hall; Guimaraes, Tonali, Willock; Murphy, Isak, Gordon.

Odds

Man City win - 5/6

Draw - 10/3

Newcastle win - 5/2

It was a close match the last time these two sides met, with Newcastle forcing a 1-1 draw at St James’. Expect similar today, with Newcastle possessing plenty of attacking threat, though a return for Gonzalez could stabilise City’s midfield.