Man City's probable starting lineup against Newcastle United, including team news and the injury report, with Rodri still unavailable.

Dom Farrell

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Man City lineup vs. Newcastle United: Projected starting XI, team news, injury list with Rodri still sidelined image

TL;DR

  • Manchester City seeks to close gap on Arsenal by defeating Newcastle United at St James' Park.
  • Man City has a poor recent record at St James' Park, winning only one of their last three matches.
  • Newcastle is struggling in the league, with only a two-point lead over relegation places.
  • Key Man City players Rodri and Mateo Kovacic are out with hamstring and heel/ankle injuries respectively.

JUMP TO:

Manchester City aims to maintain their chase of Arsenal as they visit Newcastle United in the Premier League this Saturday.

Before the international break, Pep Guardiola's team secured a notable 3-0 victory against the reigning champions Liverpool, bringing them within four points of the Gunners at the top of the league.

Manchester City has a poor record at St James' Park, winning only one of their last three matches there, and Newcastle manager Eddie Howe is counting on the home advantage and enthusiastic supporters to energize his team.

Newcastle entered the weekend with a mere two-point lead over the relegation places, having secured victory in just three of their 11 Premier League matches this season.

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Man City projected lineup for Newcastle clash

Formation: 4-1-4-1

Donnarumma (GK)

Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol, O'Reilly

Nico

Savinho, Foden, Silva, Doku

Haaland

Man City team news

The city will once again be missing Rodri, which means Nico Gonzalez  will have the opportunity to maintain his excellent performance in the defensive midfield role.

Rayan Cherki  was substituted during the second half of the match against Liverpool, and either Savinho  or Oscar Bobb  could be chosen to begin the game in place of the French player.

Captain Bernardo Silva  presents an alternative for deployment on the right flank of midfield, though he seems more probable to displace Tijjani Reijnders from a starting position in the central role.

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Man City injury list

Here's the most recent injury update for Manchester City, including projected return timelines for players currently out.

Rodri

  • Injury: Hamstring
  • Expected return date:  November 25

Since returning from ACL surgery at the FIFA Club World Cup, Rodri has experienced a few muscular injury setbacks.

His first competitive appearance in a month, following a hamstring issue sustained at Brentford, came as a late substitute against Bournemouth. He missed the Liverpool game, and Guardiola stated he was recuperating effectively but wouldn't be played at Newcastle.

Mateo Kovacic

  • Injury: Heel/ankle
  • Expected return date:  February/March 2026

Kovacic, a Croatian midfielder, has experienced a significant setback shortly after his return to play from Achilles surgery performed this past summer.

Following their 3-1 victory against Bournemouth on November 2, Guardiola stated that the player, formerly of Chelsea and Real Madrid, would be "out for a while".

"He still has a problem with the ankle, a little calcification still there. We'll wait on him for the last part of the season," the City boss added. Croatian newspaper Sportske Novosti confirmed the news and said Kovacic's recovery was likely to take three to four months.

Details of the Newcastle versus Man City game

  • Date: Saturday, November 22, 2025
  • Kickoff time: 5:30 p.m. Local / 12:30 p.m. ET / 9:30 a.m. PT 
  • Location:  St James' Park (Newcastle, England)
  • Competition: Premier League matchweek 12
  • Referee:  Samuel Barrott
  • VAR: Craig Pawson

Latest Man City news

Editorial Team