English Premier
2026-02-21 - Manchester City vs Newcastle United
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Saturday 21st February 2026 - Kick Off 8pm
This game is live on TV
Manchester City
Once again, the gap at the top of the Premier League table has been reduced to 4 points, although Arsenal are playing on Wednesday night to extend that again. This means Manchester City will be carrying a game in hand over The Gunners for a number of weeks, although Pep Guardiola will know that it is points on the board that matter most.
Keeping the pressure on their main title rivals is the sole ambition for the manager and his Manchester City squad and they are playing first again this weekend. All Guardiola will be expecting of his team is to put their best foot forward and win football matches with Manchester City looking to improve the 10-2-1 record at the Etihad Stadium in the top flight this season.
Manchester City have won 6 of the last 7 games in all competitions, but everyone will still feel pretty hurt by the exception which was the 2-2 draw at Tottenham Hotspur after Guardiola's men blew a 0-2 lead. The 2-0 win over Salford City in the FA Cup Fourth Round means Manchester City have won 6 in a row at home in all competitions, but just 2 of those matches have been in the Premier League.
Max Alleyne came off with an injury last weekend and is a doubt, while Erling Haaland was missing from the squad having come off at half time in the win over Fulham a few days earlier. All eyes are on the condition of the Norwegian striker who the manager described as having an 'issue' in the presser for the Cup tie last weekend.
Newcastle United
A thumping win in Azerbaijan means Newcastle United have all but secured their place in the Last 16 alongside the other five English Premier League clubs competing in the Champions League. It is also a victory that keeps the momentum behind Newcastle United as they try and navigate a very busy schedule.
They are up into 10th place in the Premier League table and Newcastle United are 6 points behind the top six places as they look to force their way back into European competition. Some fans may feel the Cup competitions offer the best route, although Newcastle United are going to face some stiff competition in the Champions League Last 16 and FA Cup Fifth Round. The Magpies have a 3-4-6 record away from home in the top flight as they travel to Manchester for yet another fixture.
Newcastle United had lost 4 of 5 games in all competitions and been dumped out of the League Cup Semi Final, which had built up some pressure on manager Eddie Howe. Things have turned around in the last couple of weeks with Newcastle United having won 3 in a row in all competitions and all of those wins have been away from home at Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa and Qarabag.
Bruno Guimaraes is absent, but the likes of Sven Botman, Lewis Miley and Yoane Wissa will be hoping to be available to travel with the squad.
Head to Head
Manchester City were beaten at St James' Park in the Premier League, but have since beaten Newcastle United in both Legs of the League Cup Semi Final and these teams meet again in the FA Cup Fifth Round in March.
Manchester City beat Newcastle United 3-1 here in the League Cup Semi Final Second Leg earlier this month and they have beaten this opponent 12 times in a row at the Etihad Stadium in all competitions.
Prediction
With the seconds ticking down at Molineux, most Manchester City fans would have been expecting the gap at the top between themselves and Premier League leaders Arsenal to be up to 7 points ahead of this fixture.
The bottom club had other ideas as they fought back from 0-2 down to earn a 2-2 draw with Arsenal and all of a sudden it is Pep Guardiola's men who have control of the destiny of the title.
Simply put, Manchester City will be Champions if they win every League game left to play.
This has been a season of plenty of twists and turns, but you have to believe the Manchester City players are going to have bounced into training on Thursday and Friday and there should be a real intensity about them.
Most of the top names are well rested having sat out in the FA Cup Fourth Round win over Salford City and you have to believe everyone is chomping at the bit.
Manchester City got the better of Newcastle United in the League Cup Semi Final, but they will be the first to admit that the Second Leg could have gone very differently if the visiting team had scored first.
Eddie Howe's men played well in both Legs to be fair and Newcastle United cannot be arriving with much more confidence having just crushed Qarabag in the Champions League Knock Out Play Off Round First Leg.
That makes it 3 wins in a row for Newcastle United and they have shown they can perform without Bruno Guimaraes, although they have also had the rub of the green at times. The win at Villa Park was hugely determined by Marco Bizot's first half sending off, while Qarabag could not have come out in poorer fashion in the Champions League.
It is not something you would expect to apply to Manchester City and not after the boost that has been supplied by Arsenal's failure on Wednesday night.
No one would be surprised if Newcastle United played their part in this one, but the big names should be out for Manchester City and ready to close the 5 point gap to the Premier League leaders. The home team have beaten Newcastle United 12 times in a row at the Etihad Stadium and they can find the composure in the final third to ultimately secure a comfortable three points when all is said and done.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Manchester City 3-1 Newcastle United
