Preview: Newcastle United vs Manchester City – stats, team news, line-ups | OneFootball

Newcastle United welcome Manchester City to St. James’ Park for Sunday evening’s FA Cup fifth round contest, with a place in the quarter finals up for grabs.

Astonishingly, this will be the fifth time these two sides are squaring off this season, having gone head-to-head twice apiece in the Premier League and EFL Cup.

The Magpies are hoping to end their 71-year wait for FA Cup success this season, but they must find a way to snap their three-match losing streak against Man City heading into this contest.

Match Preview

Newcastle snapped a three-match losing streak at home in the Premier League with a shocking 2-1 victory over Manchester United despite being reduced to 10 men.

The game was marred by a controversial Jacob Ramsey red card, but it didn’t stop Newcastle from taking the lead as Anthony Gordon broke the deadlock on the stroke of half-time.

However, that lead didn’t last very long as Casemiro restored parity deep into first-half stoppage time.

Man United failed to pounce on their numerical advantage and were punished for it late on as William Osula netted the winner with his first goal since September, sealing three valuable points for Newcastle.

Despite that victory, Newcastle are still 12th in the Premier League table and nine points off the top six.

They must push hard in the final weeks if they hope to secure European football, but must now turn their attention to an uphill FA Cup task on home turf.

The EFL Cup holders were unable to defend their crown as they suffered a 5-1 aggregate defeat against tonight’s visitors in the semi-finals.

They also fell to a 2-1 defeat at the Etihad Stadium in their most recent Premier League bout.

If Man City claim another win against Newcastle, they will become only the third club to eliminate the Magpies from both domestic cups in the same season after Wimbledon in 1987/88 and Arsenal in 2007/08.

However, Newcastle have advanced from nine of their last ten FA Cup fifth-round ties, and two of those victories came against Man City in 1994/95 and 2001/02.

Meanwhile, momentum in the title race shifted slightly on Wednesday night when Man City were held to a 2-2 draw at home by Nottingham Forest.

Elliot Anderson bagged a late equaliser to salvage a point for the visitors, leaving Pep Guardiola’s side seven points behind league leaders Arsenal.

While City still have a game in hand, the gap gives Mikel Arteta’s team a boost in confidence as the title race enters a decisive stretch.

There is still plenty of football to be played, and the battle at the top could yet produce more twists and fireworks before the season ends.

But City must now turn their attention to the FA Cup against Newcastle. Despite recent final defeats to Man United and Crystal Palace, City still have a formidable record in the FA Cup.

Over the past four seasons, they have won 18 of their last 20 matches in the competition.

They’ve also dominated early rounds, with Guardiola’s men winning their last 23 such games in the FA Cup by an aggregate score of 89-11 since their 1-0 fifth round defeat to Wigan in the 2017/18.

Team News

Newcastle will be without the suspended Ramsey this weekend, while Bruno Guimaraes, Fabian Schar, Emil Krafth, and Lewis Miley all remain sidelined with injuries.

Valentino Livramento has made good progress in his recovery from a hamstring problem, but this fixture may come too soon for the English defender.

Man City will also be without Josko Gvardiol and Mateo Kovacic, while Nico O’Reilly will be assessed before kick-off after picking up a knock against Forest.

Newcastle United potential starting line-up: