Premier League: Manchester City vs Newcastle United Betting Preview

The Premier League campaign continues this weekend after a week off due to FA Cup play. On Saturday, February 15, one of the most important fixtures of matchday 25 will take place at the Etihad Stadium as Manchester City welcomes Newcastle to town. The kick-off is scheduled for 10 AM ET. The Cityzens will be motivated to respond here after a crushing defeat to Real Madrid mid-week in the Champions League Play-Offs. As for the Magpies, they last played on Saturday, beating Birmingham City in cup competition. Both of these teams have 41 points apiece at the moment, therefore a lot is at stake here.

Head-to-head history 

History is definitely on Man City’s side here. They’ve won 11 of the last 13 meetings with Newcastle, losing just once dating back to June of 2020. In fact, the Sky Blues have tasted defeat only one time in their last 34 Premier League games against the Magpies, including 15 wins in a row versus them on home soil.

Can Man City bounce back? 

To say it’s been a disappointing campaign for Man City would be an understatement. After all, we’re talking about the EPL title-holders who were also the kings of Europe two seasons ago. While injuries to their backline have certainly played a huge part, the reality is Pep Guardiola’s men haven’t looked like the same side in 2024-25.

Winning another league trophy is out of the question, sitting 16 points off the top in fifth spot with a 12-5-7 record. City had an atrocious run through December and January where they barely won a match at all, which essentially put their title aspirations to bed. They’re not exactly in the greatest form at the moment either, losing two of their last three games. Arsenal embarrassed the Sky Blues 5-1 at the beginning of the month before also dropping their first leg in the UCL to Madrid on Tuesday, squandering the lead twice and allowing a terrible goal in injury time.

While the return fixture in the Spanish capital next week is a huge focus as City looks to turn things around and progress to the Round of 16, Saturday’s affair can’t be overlooked. A victory here could potentially move them into the top four, depending on how results unfold across the top flight. The hosts have -105 odds at Betway.

Tall task for Newcastle 

Even though City isn’t the force they’ve been in past years, this is still a very difficult game for Newcastle given their massive struggles against the holders. But despite the lack of results for the Magpies versus the Sky Blues, Eddie Howe’s squad has won four consecutive games on the road, which gives them a glimmer of hope that a point, at the very least, can be secured this weekend at the Etihad.

Newcastle has the same record as City in league action and has gone 3-0-2 in their last five Premier League outings. They also eliminated Arsenal in a Carabao Cup on February 5. When it comes to the EPL, the Magpies haven’t played since February 1, losing 2-1 to Fulham. However, the club is enjoying a six-game unbeaten run across all competitions away from St. James’ Park.

The battle for a Champions League place will become fierce in the coming weeks. Newcastle will have to face the likes of Nottingham Forest and Liverpool, who sit above them in the table. In fact, Aston Villa, Arsenal, and Chelsea remain on the schedule as well. It will take their absolute best to finish in the top four but for now, the focus is set on matchday 25. The Magpies are an underdog at soccer betting sportsbooks.