Manchester City vs. Newcastle : Predicted lineups, team news and Premier League score prediction

Manchester City's season has, undoubtedly, turned out very differently from what the viewing public is used to when it comes to the traditionally dominant side. While we're well past the point of posing questions like "when will they turn it around and climb their way back to the top?", a reimagining of what success looks like for the club could frame the remainder of City's season in a more positive light — to the extent that is possible.

The current state of Pep's side is reminiscent of Liverpool in the year after their title-winning season — massive injury blows, particularly to the defensive partnership of Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez, put the Reds on the back foot early in the season, and when the schedule began to compress, a long fall from the grace of first place ensued. Throughout the tumult, much was made about just how shocking such a drop in form was, but by season's end, they had admirably fought their way back into the top four, qualifying for a Champions League in which they reached the final. All of that is to say, Manchester City still have a lot of success in front of them.

The path to achieving that future success begins with securing a place in next season's Champions League. And with the Citizens on the ropes in their current CL knockout tie with Real Madrid, their quest for a rebirth in Europe goes through Newcastle on Saturday. In order to jump ahead of the visiting Magpies, who are even with City on 41 points, Pep's men will need to defend in a way they haven't managed for much of the season. Erling Haaland has proved that he won't stop scoring, but those goals haven't done them much good when they can't keep his opposite numbers from hitting the back of the net themselves.

Newcastle are cruising in the Cups — now can they do it in the League?

Newcastle's triumphant return to the Champions League last year turned out to have dire consequences for Eddie Howe's project at the club. The schedule produced a rotating roster of injuries and had an evident impact on their stamina in league play.

But the Magpies are back this season, playing manfully and enjoying the bounty of Alexander Isak's excellent goalscoring form. The Swede has 19 goals on the season in all competitions, supplemented by the contributions of wingers Anthony Gordon and Jacob Murphy. Moreover, the reintroduction of Sandro Tonali to Newcastle's midfield has given them a creativity that they were often sorely missing in the previous season.

Their trip to Manchester does offer a different sort of challenge from their recent trip to Birmingham or even their second-leg victory over Arsenal in the Carabao Cup semi-final, though. With a number of vital, central figures sidelined with injury, Newcastle will need to rely on some players to step up. Joe Willock seems up to the task, but their success will depend on who is able to join him.

Manchester City vs. Newcastle news, predicted lineup and score

Manchester City are in better shape then they've been in some weeks, going into the weekend. With the exceptions of Jack Grealish and Manuel Akanji, both of whom are contending with unspecified muscle issues, Pep's squad is fit and — he'll hope — ready to fight.

As alluded to, things in Newcastle's camp are going decidedly less well in terms of injury. Both Harvey Barnes and Anthony Gordon have been unable to take up their posts on the wing, though the latter is listed as "possible" for Saturday. Midfield fixture Joelinton will be out until March with a knee injury, and the defensive unit of Dan Burn and Sven Botman has been ruled out with a groin and knee injury, respectively.

Manchester City predicted line up: Ederson, Nunes, Dias, Ake, Gvardiol, Silva, Kovacic, Foden, Marmoush, Savinho, Haaland

Newcastle predicted line up: Dubravka, Trippier, Schär, Guimarães, Hall, Longstaff, Tonali, Willock, Murphy, Isak, Gordon

Predicted Score: Manchester City 2-2 Newcastle

How to watch Manchester City vs. Newcastle

• Date: Saturday, Feb. 15
• Start Time: 10:00 a.m. EST
• Location: Etihad Stadium — Manchester, England
• Watch: Peacock

Kickoff for the match is 10:00 a.m. ET, on Saturday, Feb. 15. The game will be streaming exclusively on Peacock.