Newcastle face the daunting task of welcoming Manchester City to St James' Park on Tuesday evening as both sides go in search of a valuable victory.
The Magpies have been flirting with the bottom three all season and that battle is expected to continue until the end of the season. They were knocked out of the FA Cup by Watford on Saturday, leaving them with the sole task of remaining in the Premier League.
As for Manchester City, they are continuing their pursuit of four separate trophies. The Citizens are still within touching distance of Liverpool at the top of the table, easily progressed into the final of the Carabao Cup after brushing aside Burton Albion and comfortably marched into the fifth round of the FA Cup with a 5-0 win against Burnley on Saturday.
Check out 90min's preview of Tuesday's clash below.
Where to Watch
| When Is Kick Off? | Tuesday 29th January |
| What Time Is Kick Off? | 19:45 (BST) |
| Where Is It Being Played? | St James' Park |
| TV Channel/ Live Stream? | Gillette Soccer Special |
| Referee? | Paul Tierney |
Team News
Rafa Benitez rang in the changes for Newcastle's FA Cup loss against Watford, but he is expected to field a much more familiar starting XI on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola was happy to leave out the likes of Aymeric Laporte, David Silva, Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling from the starting XI against Burnley and they are all likely to make a return for City. Club captain Vincent Kompany remains out injured and will be unavailable for selection.
Predicted Lineups
| Newcastle | Dubravka; Yedlin, Schar, Lascelles, Lejeune, Ritchie; Perez, Longstaff, Hayden, Atsu; Rondon. |
| Manchester City | Ederson; Walker, Laporte, Stones, Delph; Fernandinho, Silva, Bernardo; Sterling, Sane, Jesus. |
Head to Head Record
Newcastle still have the edge when it comes to head to head results, winning 71 of the 178 meetings between the two sides in all competitions. City have won 68, whilst 39 have finished in draws.
Recent Form
Newcastle are currently languishing down in 17th, just two points above the relegation zone. Their recent form hasn't been disastrous by any means, especially when you consider the sort of opposition they have had to face.
The Magpies have amassed four points from their previous five Premier League matches, with defeats coming against Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea. Their most recent Premier League fixture saw them comfortably defeat relegation rivals Cardiff 3-0 at St. James' Park.
After slipping up on two occasions in December, City have been in utterly formidable form. Since their defeat against Leicester, they have won eight games on the bounce in all competitions, scoring 33 goals in the process.
Here's a full breakdown of both side's last five results:
| Newcastle | Manchester City |
| Newcastle 0-2 Watford (26/01) | Manchester City 5-0 Burnley (26/01) |
| Newcastle 3-0 Cardiff (19/01) | Burton 0-1 Manchester City (23/01) |
| Blackburn 2-4 Newcastle (15/01) | Huddersfield 0-3 Manchester City (20/01) |
| Chelsea 2-1 Newcastle (12/01) | Manchester City 3-0 Wolves (14/01) |
| Newcastle 1-1 Blackburn (05/01) | Manchester City 9-0 Burton (09/01) |
Predictions
It's almost impossible to see Newcastle getting anything out of this one when you consider how lethal City have been in recent weeks.
Everything is clicking for City at both ends of the pitch and they should be brimming with confidence after their recent goal scoring exploits.
Rafa Benitez will try and stifle City's attack as much as possible, but it may simply be a case of damage limitation.
Predicted Score: Newcastle 0-3 Manchester City
Source : 90min