Preview: Manchester City vs Newcastle United -stats, team news, line-ups | OneFootball

Saturday’s FA Cup action concludes at the Etihad Stadium as Manchester City and Newcastle United go head-to-head in a heavyweight quarter-final tie.

You can watch this FA Cup game live as the reigning champions continue their quest to defend last season’s treble in a competition they’ve never won twice on the spin in the club’s history.

Man City maintained their hopes of winning an unprecedented fourth consecutive Premier League title alive with a breathtaking 1-1 draw at Liverpool last weekend.

With ten rounds left, they trail table-topping Arsenal by a single point, sitting level with the Reds in second in one of the most dramatic title races in Premier League history.

After having a rare midweek off, Pep Guardiola’s side switch their attention towards a potential banana-skin FA Cup encounter against out-of-sorts Newcastle.

Eddie Howe’s side suffered their 12th top-flight defeat of the season on Monday, conceding twice beyond half-time in a goal-glutted 3-2 loss at fellow mid-table rivals Chelsea.

Out of the League Cup and eliminated from Europe, the Magpies view this tournament as their only chance to salvage a disappointing season and arrest a long-standing title drought in top-tier competitions.

However, the FA Cup draw has not been kind to the Tyne Army, pitting them against one of the best teams in European football in the past decade.

Match Preview

Despite failing to take three points from Anfield, Man City left Merseyside with their heads up after extending their scintillating unbeaten run to 21 games across all competitions (W18, D3).

Guardiola’s side have been particularly outstanding in football’s oldest cup competition, racking up a nine-game winning streak, including two emphatic wins over Huddersfield Town (5-0) and Luton Town (6-2) this season.

A late 1-0 triumph against Tottenham Hotspur in the fourth round was the scariest moment for the Cityzens, who last suffered a FA Cup exit against a side outside the traditional ‘Big Six’ in 2018.

Man City fans can draw further confidence from the perennial Premier League champions’ dominant record in the FA Cup quarter-finals, as they last failed to progress from this stage in 2013/14.

Visiting Newcastle have navigated three away ties to set up their first FA Cup quarter-final appearance since 2019/20. Ominously for the visitors, Man City crashed them out of the competition that time.

Howe’s side head into proceedings as underdogs, not least because of their dreadful recent form against the Cityzens, recording just one win from their last 12 meetings (D2, L9).

If it’s any consolation, that lone success came in this season’s League Cup, although St James’ Park formed the backdrop for that fixture. It’s a pretty miserable story at the Etihad.

The Magpies have lost all nine visits to this venue since October 2014, suggesting their 19-year wait for a semi-final qualification is destined to continue.

Team News

Stefan Ortega will be between the sticks for Man City after Ederson picked up an injury in the lead-up to Liverpool’s equaliser last weekend, joining Jack Grealish in the treatment room.

Guardiola could give Kevin De Bruyne another start after the Belgian returned from injury, even though the pair had a bust-up after the Spaniard substituted his star playmaker at Anfield.

As for Newcastle, when it looked like the long-standing crisis at St James’ Park had subsided, Howe has lost more first-team stars.

Anthony Gordon has just received his maiden senior call-up for England, but he will not be part of the travelling squad due to a minor injury.

Captain Kieran Trippier is another missing player, alongside long-term absentees Nick Pope, Joelinton, Callum Wilson and Sandro Tonail.

Manchester City vs Newcastle United Potential Line-ups

Manchester City (4-2-3-1): Stefan Ortega; Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake, Josko Gvardiol; Rodri, Mateo Kovacic; Oscar Bobb, Julian Alvarez, Jeremy Doku; Erling Braut Haaland.

Newcastle United (4-3-3): Martin Dubravka; Tino Livramento, Fabian Schar, Sven Botman, Dan Burn; Sean Longstaff, Bruno Guimaraes, Joe Willock; Jacob Murphy, Alexander Isak, Miguel Almiron.