Our reporter Michael Plant gives his thoughts ahead of Manchester City's Premier League clash against Newcastle United on Saturday.
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00:00 Manchester City are back in Premier League action this weekend following last week's FA Cup victory
00:05 over Huddersfield Town. For City it's a trip to Newcastle in this split Premier League weekend
00:11 with the international break. City one of the five games that are being played in the first
00:15 round of or the first weekend of games and then will have their winter break next week while the
00:20 other five matches take place. And it is a trip to Newcastle you know on the surface of it it
00:26 should be quite a difficult game. Newcastle aside who have been obviously you know one of the Premier
00:32 League's top sides in the last let's say 18 months or so and have given City a couple of really
00:37 difficult games recently. Obviously beat them in the Carabao Cup at St James's Park earlier this
00:42 year, drew 3-3 in this fixture last season. But Newcastle they just feel a little bit of a low
00:48 point at the moment under Eddie High. Certainly and you know they've had a fantastic couple of
00:52 years as I say but they've just been impacted by injuries, been impacted by the fixture schedule
00:56 and I actually think that as I say this is probably the best time that you could play Newcastle in I
01:01 suppose the last 18 months or so. They've lost the last three in the Premier League including
01:06 defeats to Luton and Nottingham Forest. So as I say not just maybe quite the side that City would
01:12 have faced earlier in this season still should be a difficult game that said and it is worth
01:18 noting that Newcastle have had a few players come on back from injury in the last couple of weeks.
01:22 And then in terms of team news I mean I am recording this before Pep Guardiola's press
01:25 conference on Friday but I would be surprised if Erling Haaland is fit to start whether he's
01:30 available as an option off the bench is possible. Manuela Kanji is another player who has a bit of
01:35 a doubt about his fitness and he came off in the win against Huddersfield with a knock. Yet to hear
01:40 from Guardiola about the extent of that problem. Bernardo Silva, Calvin Phillips also missed out
01:45 due to illness last week but we're expecting both to be back. I'm interested to see how he sets up
01:51 again I think he'll probably go with Phil Foden in midfield. It feels very difficult to take Foden
01:55 down at the moment. He's been absolutely fantastic of late as is Julian Alvarez up front and they've
02:00 actually formed a real partnership in Erling Haaland's absence. I don't think he'll struggle
02:05 to get back into the team per se but you know it's good to know from a City perspective that they
02:10 have plenty of options even when he's not available. Kevin De Bruyne is not going to start either he
02:14 all but confirmed in an interview post-match last week against Huddersfield that he'll be on the
02:18 bench but it's good to know from a City perspective as well that if they are struggling to find a goal
02:22 late on De Bruyne is a type of player they can turn to. Jeremy Doak who's back as well so look
02:27 it's plenty positive for the moment in terms of City even though that Jon Stones is out but City
02:33 who were I think maybe the World Cup or the Club World Cup break came at a good time for City they
02:39 just wanted their best. They've actually now recorded five wins in a row in all competitions
02:43 including two in the last Premier League games not quite back to their best yet but I think as
02:48 is always the case with City in the second half of the season they're starting to look yeah starting
02:53 to look like they're perhaps clicking into gear a little bit and plenty of ominous sides I think
02:58 for the chasing pack in the Premier League and while I say chasing pack City are actually in
03:02 the chasing pack at the moment they're sitting third and five points off leaders Liverpool and
03:07 two points I think it is behind Aston Villa as well but worth noting the City have a game in
03:11 hand on both of those sides so look an important weekend in the title race as always Villa in
03:15 action and I don't think Liverpool are in action this week I think they're the following week so
03:19 it's an opportunity at the very least on a temporary basis to claw a bit of a gap back
03:25 to Liverpool but as I say an important match and as always we will be covering it on Manchester World.