Premier League defending champions Manchester City host current league leaders Newcastle United at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday evening.
Both clubs won their opening matches of the season last weekend but Newcastle scored more goals against Aston Villa than Manchester City did against Burnley.
When they met last season, they played out to an intense 3-3 draw in the first leg but Manchester City were on a whole different level in the return leg as they thrashed Newcastle 5-0 in the run-in at the Etihad.
Newcastle return to this ground with manager Eddie Howe sounding positive drums for his players riding on last season’s and last weekend’s success but he knows that Manchester City will not be complacent.
“We want our players to go there with all the positive emotions that our season last year and our first game of this season should bring,” Howe told reporters in a pre-match press conference a few hours ago.
“We have to be ourselves. We can’t change. We want to become a top team consistently in the Premier League and to do that we have to have a clear identity and try to implement that on other teams,” He added.
Whatever positivity Newcastle come within this fixture, Manchester City are ready for it, according to manager Pep Guardiola.
“Of course, we are ready. The challenge is to prove ourselves again. It’s always how you overcome [challenges] that defines if you are a good team or not. We need our people more than ever, especially this season.” Guardiola said in the pre-match press conference.
Team news
Guardiola confirmed John Stones felt uneasy in the muscle during training so he will sit this one out. He joins Kevin De Bruyne who is out for a prolonged period.
Bernardo Silva, who missed the UEFA Super Cup match due to an illness, is still a doubt, as well as Ruben Diaz. There’s a 50/50 chance for these two to feature in this tie.
For Newcastle, Emil Krafth, Javier Manquillo and Joe Willock are all unavailable due to injuries. Everyone else is available.
