Newcastle United vs Manchester City (FA Cup Fifth Round): Match Preview, Team News, Head to Head, How to Watch | OneFootball

Off the back of a disappointing draw with Nottingham Forest, Pep Guardiola’s side travel to St James’ Park to take on Newcastle United in the FA Cup fifth round.

Post-Forest Fallout: The seven-point gap and the Arsenal factor

The gap to Arsenal at the top of the Premier League was extended to seven points as Manchester City were held to a 2-2 draw against Nottingham Forest on Wednesday night, while Arsenal executed a 0-1 win away at Brighton & Hove Albion.

The scoring was opened by Antoine Semenyo once again with yet another stunning assist from Rayan Cherki at the half-hour mark. And, as the half-time whistle blew, the Blues looked firmly in control of the match.

However, just 10 minutes after the break, a man who has been linked to City on a number of occasions drew Forest level. Morgan Gibbs-White’s deft back heel effort slid between Ruben Dias’ legs from point blank range, leaving Gianluigi Donnarumma no chance.

Champions find a way though, and just six minutes later, Rayan Ait-Nouri’s corner found the head of Rodri who slammed the ball into the net to restore City’s lead. From there, Guardiola’s side once again looked in full control, maintaining possession and extinguishing Forest’s counter attacks.

Unfortunately, sometimes football isn’t as simple and the better team doesn’t always walk away with three points. In the 72nd minute, another man often linked with a move to Manchester stepped up with a moment of brilliance to throw the result into jeopardy.

Elliot Anderson’s long-range strike, completely against the run of play, would kill the Blues’ chance to keep Arsenal within their reach, with Forest doing everything they could to take the point and draw themselves out of the relegation zone.

Guardiola’s side did have one last gasp chance to take the lead as Bernardo Silva failed to convert a last minute chance followed by a last ditch goal line clearance to deny Savinho a winner with the final kick of the ball.

As has become somewhat common in recent months, the discourse following the game has centred around some rather questionable refereeing decisions. Erling Haaland was twice bought down in the penalty area with Darren England waving away claims. Rodri was then taken down by a late challenge from Elliot Anderson in the aftermath of a corner, again waved away.

Sometimes it just isn’t meant to be, but Pep Guardiola and his side can hold their heads high knowing they threw everything they had at the game in their efforts to win. They must now dust themselves off and set their sights on glory in another competition. For the fifth time this season, Manchester City take on Newcastle United.

In their last match, the Magpies managed to topple Manchester United courtesy of Will Osula’s 90th minute winner. In the FA Cup, they progressed through by knocking Bournemouth out in a penalty shootout, followed by a 1-3 win against Unai Emery’s Aston Villa.

Manchester City’s path to the fifth round has been decidedly easier, having comprehensively dismantled Exeter City in a 10-1 win, followed by a 2-0 win against Salford City.

Road to Wembley: Can City dust themselves off for the FA Cup?

Victory in the FA Cup would go a long way to show that they still mean business with the team in a period of rebuilding, and a trophy like this is a clear statement of intent. For Newcastle, the FA Cup is likely their only hope at claiming silverware in two consecutive seasons, having been knocked out of the Carabao Cup by City in the semi-final.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the FA Cup fifth round clash on Saturday night!

Match Details

Newcastle United host Manchester City at St James’ Park, with kick-off scheduled for 20:00 (UK) on Saturday 7 March.

Match Officials

Sam Barrott will referee Saturday night’s FA Cup clash. The last time he oversaw a Manchester City match was in the Carabao Cup quarter-final win against Brentford.

You can find the full list of match officials below!

Team News: Gvardiol out and Kovacic training boost

Josko Gvardiol remains sidelined with the injury he sustained against Chelsea shortly after the turn of the year, with a tibial fracture that is likely to keep him out for the remainder of the season.

Mateo Kovacic is still on the road to recovery following surgery on his heel, however the good news is that he was pictured back in first-team training this week, suggesting that a return is on the cards sooner rather than later.

Nico O’Reilly missed out on matchday selection against Nottingham Forest following a knock he picked up against Leeds, and a start is unlikely this time around. Pep Guardiola will likely provide a comprehensive update on Friday afternoon.

For Newcastle United, Jacob Ramsey will be unavailable as a result of his red card against Manchester United following yellow cards in quick succession against Michael Carrick’s side.

Striker Nick Woltemade is a doubt against Manchester City due to illness, while all of Lewis Miles, Bruno Guimaraes, Tino Livramento, Emil Krafth, and Fabian Schar are expected to miss out through injury.

Press Conference Quotes

Pep Guardiola is due to face the media from 12:30 GMT on Friday 6 March.

Check back for updates.

Head to Head

This will be the fifth time the two clubs have squared off against each other this season. Manchester City lead the head to head with three wins to Newcastle’s one, while Guardiola’s side won both legs of the Carabao Cup semi-final with an aggregate score of 5-1.

In the Premier League, Newcastle managed a 2-1 win with Manchester City winning the reverse via the same scoreline.

Since 1923, Newcastle have met City 12 times in the FA cup, meeting in every round from the third round all the way through to the final. City have won four of these ties, including the most recent two.

Back in 1954, when the two teams met in the final, Newcastle walked away with a 3-1 win and ultimately the ultimate bragging rights in the form of a trophy.

Overall Manchester City lead the head to head with 82 wins to Newcastle’s 74, with 42 draws between them.

The last time the two teams faced was Manchester City’s 2-1 league win in February. On that day, a superb brace from Nico O’Reilly cancelled out Lewis Hall’s strike to give Pep Guardiola’s men all three points.

Statistics

Before his first win in November 2025, Eddie Howe had lost all 11 of his previous Premier League games against Manchester City, the longest 100% losing record for any manager against a single opponent. 

Phil Foden is approaching a significant milestone. His next Premier League goal involvement will be his 100th for the club, an achievement unlocked by just five Manchester City players to date.

Newcastle continue to prove a tough opponent for Erling Haaland, his only goal against the Magpies came in his very first match against them.

If James Trafford is selected for this one, it’ll be his third match against Newcastle. This will be his 12th match for City this season, 25% of those games will have been against Newcastle.

How to Watch

Fans in the UK will be able to watch on TNT Sports and Discovery+. Radio coverage will be available on BBC Radio 5 Live

For those in the USA coverage will be available on ESPN.

Check out the full global TV listings HERE!

City Xtra will have full live coverage available on our X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram channels throughout matchday, with content also provided on cityxtra.co.uk!