Newcastle United vs. Manchester City Preview

After their tantalising 1-0 derby victory over Manchester United at the Etihad Arena, Manchester City are now back in the driving seat for Premier League glory via goal difference – and Roberto Mancini’s men can virtually put one hand on the title by beating Newcastle United at St James’ Park on Sunday May 6.

The clash between the two teams is the penultimate game of the season and a win for the visitors would leave them just three points away from the ultimate triumph at the expense of the Red Devils.

Vincent Kompany’s header just before half time sealed the deal for City in what many believed to be the title decider and completed a remarkable league double over United in the process.

That feat alone arguably suggests that it is the Citizens who potentially deserve Premier League honours more, however they must now finish the job and continue the momentum which has seen them recover from a seemingly insurmountable eight point deficit in recent weeks.

Standing in City’s way this weekend in front of the live cameras are a Newcastle outfit still well in the hunt for Champions League qualification despite an absolute thumping at the hands of a rejuvenated Wigan Athletic last time out.

That defeat put an end to a long winning streak for the Geordies who have excelled once again under Alan Pardew in the final third of the campaign following such a successful start in the winter.

Pardew is many people’s candidate for manager of the season but it will be a huge test of his character in the final two matches to get the Magpies back on track after Tottenham reclaimed fourth place last weekend.

Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse will once again post a formidable threat up front for the hosts who have been a model of consistency at home – winning eleven of their 17 fixtures to date, drawing five.

But despite their somewhat unspectacular away record, City will surely be fancied to follow up on that tremendous recent derby success and continue their journey towards first prize.

City have lost five times on the road so far this season but with spirits so high in the camp it is hard to envisage them worsening that tally at St James’ Park – especially considering the massive edge in overall quality which they have on Newcastle who are likely to come up short in terms of creativity and pace in the key areas.

And it is simply too difficult for punters to side with a team facing Man City on the back of a miserable 4-0 drubbing.

This will arguably be a test for City on a par with what they dealt with against United, simply due to the pressure on their shoulders to follow up now back in the lead and not repeat the same mistake twice.

At 4/6, City represent a decent bet with everything still to play for and can move to within touching distance of the title, putting Newcastle’s Champions League dreams to bed at the same time.

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02/05/2012     © Frixo 2026