NEWCASTLE will be braced for a Manchester City backlash after Pep Guardiola's side crashed to a shock defeat at Southampton on Sunday.
The inconsistency that has ruined City's title defence was underlined when they followed up a 4-0 thrashing of new champions Liverpool by slipping to that 1-0 loss at St Mary's.
But Guardiola's troops still dominated the game against Saints and would have come out on top had it not been for an inspired display by keeper Alex McCarthy.
They were even more dominant when they faced Newcastle a fortnight ago in the FA Cup, easing to a 2-0 victory that should have been more comfortable.
Yet City's defence still coughed up a glorious chance that Dwight Gayle somehow missed with the score at just 1-0 and had the ball gone in the net instead of into orbit then it could have been a different outcome.
That cup loss is the only defeat Steve Bruce's men have suffered since coming out of lockdown so they head to the Etihad in decent form. Yet you suspect they will need to catch City on a bad day to have any chance of taking something back to Tyneside.
How the bookies view it
The Magpies are rank outsiders and are available at a massive 25/1 with BetVictor. The draw is 9/1 at Betfair while Manchester City's best price is 2/15 at Unibet. There's no value in that but you can boost the odds to 31/40 at BetVictor by backing a City win to nil.
Recent head to head
Manchester City have struggled away to Newcastle in recent seasons, dropping points on their last two visits on league duty, but it has been a different story at the Etihad.
City have won their last 10 home league games against the Magpies, although Newcastle did triumph 2-0 at the Etihad on League Cup duty back in 2014 during that miserable run.
It ended 2-1 to Guardiola's side in this fixture last season, with Kyle Walker grabbing the winner with a rare strike (below). Newcastle have scored on their last three trips to the Etihad but offered so little threat in that recent FA Cup clash that a goal here would be a surprise.
Players to watch
Raheem Sterling delivered for me in that cup tie, with his curler from the edge of the box bringing up two of my tips that day. The winger is a best evens with Sportingbet for this one but I'm looking elsewhere as Guardiola (below) might be tempted to give him a rest after subbing Sterling at the weekend.
Phil Foden has impressed of late and should start after stepping off the bench against Saints. The wonderkid is 33/20 with 888Sport for a goal and that looks decent value.
Newcastle could be missing their main creative sparks, with Allan Saint-Maximin and Miguel Almiron both injury doubts. Their best hope for a goal probably comes from a set-piece or a long-range strike. Stopper Federico Fernandez is as big as 40/1 with Bet365 for a goal so it's a decent option for a bonkers bet as he has scored two headers this season.
Anything else catch the eye?
Betway are offering 19/20 on Newcastle picking up the first booking and that looks good value given the Magpies will be on the back foot from the off.
City scored twice or more in the first half of their last two home games against Liverpool and Burnley. So I like the look of the 31/20 Coral are offering on over 1.5 City goals in the first period here. Newcastle will defend deep but if Guardiola's side can make the breakthrough in the first 20 minutes that bet could easily come up.
This English Premier League match between Manchester City and Newcastle United will be played on Jul 8, 2020 and kick off at 18:00. Check below for our tipsters best Manchester City vs Newcastle United prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
