Manchester City

Matthew Hobbs
BBC Sport journalist

Manchester City continue their title challenge against a Newcastle United side aiming to bounce back from consecutive defeats.

BBC Sport examines some of the key themes ahead of their meeting at St James' Park.

Haaland approaches record-breaking century

Manchester City resume Premier League proceedings following the international break second in the table and on a run of four successive wins in all competitions – their longest such sequence of the current campaign to date.

Central to City's success so far this season has been the superlative form of striker Erling Haaland, who has scored 30 goals in his past 18 games for club and country.

The Norway international continues to close on yet another Premier League milestone in record time.

He needs just one goal to reach his century in the Premier League and should he do so against Newcastle this weekend, the feat will have been achieved in 15 fewer appearances than any other player in the competition's history.

Haaland has scored 14 Premier League goals in 11 matches in 2025-26 and his ruthless finishing has been in full effect, with eight coming via a first-time finish.

While Haaland's rich vein of form has been familiar throughout his City career, Pep Guardiola's side are currently bucking the widespread trend of scoring an increased amount of goals from set-pieces.

Nico Gonzalez's goal from a corner in the 3-0 Premier League win against Liverpool ahead of the international break was City's first from a set-piece this season, the joint lowest tally of any side, with the Blues instead scoring an unrivalled 22 times from open play.

Whether it comes from a set-piece or not, any kind of City goal has often felt inevitable in this fixture.

They have scored in each of their past 33 Premier League games against Newcastle – a competition record by one side against the same opponent.

Should Guardiola's men score – and win – at St James' Park on Saturday, they can move to within one point of leaders Arsenal, who face Tottenham on Sunday.

Newcastle's bogey team

Newcastle come into this contest attempting to recover from back-to-back defeats for the first time this season in a fixture that has proved particularly problematic for Eddie Howe.

Newcastle's head coach has failed to win any of his 18 career Premier League meetings with City (drawn two, lost 16) – the longest such sequence of any Premier League manager against the same opponent without ever winning.

If the Magpies are to help end Howe's personal purgatory against his bogey team, they must manage matches better once ahead.

Newcastle have now lost three league games this season after scoring first, including their two most recent defeats.

They had previously lost three games after opening the scoring across the entirety of the past two seasons.

Newcastle's home form

However, the Magpies are on a strong run of home form, winning their past five matches at St James' Park in all competitions, scoring 11 goals and keeping four clean sheets.

Summer signing Nick Woltemade has scored in three of his four home league appearances so far and continues to grow into Premier League football, with all three of his open-play goals coming from first-time shots.

The 23-year-old also scored three goals for Germany during the international window in wins against Luxembourg and Slovakia.

Tasnim Chowdhury
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Why Manchester City players like Phil Foden have their hands and wrists bandaged has been the subject of questions sent in via our 'Ask about Man City' form, so BBC Sport found out more about the trend...

The answer is simple. Footballers mainly tape their wrists to protect them from injury.

Sports tape, which is wrapped around the wrist and sometimes fingers, provides support and stability to the wrist joints during a match - meaning that if a player has been tackled, faced a collision or a fall, the tape will form protection to their wrist.

Ben Warburton, a physiotherapist who has worked with Cardiff City, Wales' national rugby union team and Scarlets rugby union team, says players like Phil Foden wear the tape for different injury-related reasons.

He said the first is for "prophylactic measures", such as when footballers fall to the floor helping to "reduce the risk of a wrist injury".

It can also reduce extension at the wrist joint.

"Taping can give reassurance after an injury," explains Warburton. "This restriction in movement can give massive confidence to a player, making them feel they can play aggressively - and should they fall, their wrist is slightly protected."

Warburton also says that wearing wrist tape can just be for show, or for tactical reasons - especially goalkeepers who may have notes on their tape, such as penalty shootout instructions.

Wearing tape could also be part of a footballer's superstitious beliefs, believing they will have a better performance or it will bring them luck if they apply it.

It can also become part of a footballer's identity on the pitch if they become known for their wrist tape.

There are numerous videos on TikTok of people showing how to tape your wrists like Foden, Jamie Vardy and Vinicius Jr.

Foden did not wear the tape until fracturing his hand in January 2024, but the Manchester City playmaker has continued to wear the bandage ever since.

Ultimately, wearing wrist tape is down to each individual player and their preferences.

Read more about it here

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The Premier League will from next season move to a new system of Financial Fair Play (FFP) based on squad costs.

The clubs met in London on Friday to vote on three possible methods of replacing Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).

Squad Cost Ratio (SCR) got 14 votes in favour and six against, which is the minimum number that is required to exact a rule change.

Overall squad costs from next season will have to be limited to 85% of a club's revenue, although teams competing in Europe will have to adhere to Uefa's maximum of 70%.

Squad costs comprise player and manager wages, transfer fees and agents' fees.

Rules around sustainability, which set out a club's financial spending plans over the medium and long term, were passed unanimously.

Read more about the news and what it means here

Tasnim Chowdhury
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

The Premier League has announced the start and end dates for the 2026-27 season.

The first round of fixtures will take place across the weekend of 22 August 2026 - a week later than previous seasons.

The later start allows rest time for players - 89 clear days from the end of this season, and 33 days from the 2026 World Cup final.

The Premier League said the delay was a "priority" for player welfare in an "increasingly congested global football calendar".

The final matches of the season will be played on Sunday, 30 May 2027, with all fixtures kicking off simultaneously as usual.

The season will end a week before the 2027 Champions League final, which will be on Saturday, 5 June.

There will be 33 weekend and five midweek fixtures - the same as the current season.

For the festive period, the Premier League have said no two match rounds will take place within 60 hours.

It has not been confirmed if there will be any fixtures on 24 December 2026.

However, as Boxing Day falls on a Saturday, the Premier League has said there will be more matches scheduled than this season, when there is only one.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Newcastle at St James' Park (kick-off 17.30 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Guardiola confirmed "everybody is fit except [Mateo] Kovacic and Rodri", adding: "Rodri is making good steps. It's almost three weeks since he made the last little step back. He knows that we have to take real time to recover fine, recover well, mentally and especially physically from the problems he had."

• The City boss feels a "strong" team like Arsenal "will not drop many points" and if they "get a lot of distance it will be difficult" to catch them in the title race.

• He continued: "We are in November, and in November in this league nothing is final. What happens in February or March - be careful. Now international break is done we will see each other every few days till March. Now the real season starts now. We have to be there in March."

• On striker Erling Haaland, after he helped Norway to World Cup Qualification and could break another Premier League record this weekend: "It's amazing. he's breaking all the records, personal and Premier League and for Norway. Many of the squad for Norway weren't even born the last time they were in the World Cup. As a football player, world class player, he deserves to play a World Cup and live the experience. I'm so happy for him."

• Guardiola insisted opponents Newcastle are a "top, top team" and they "are ready" to face them. He also praised the Magpies' in-form captain Bruno Guimaraes as a "special player" that he has "always been a big fan of".

• On Nico O'Reilly, who made his senior England debut during the international break: "I'm happy for him. Hopefully can continue and stay humble. When you reach the highest level with your country and national team, hopefully he can be stable. All the people who work with him since a little kid and his development here to help him get there, it is a big, big compliment."

• He also praised Bernardo Silva for being "one of the best" players he has coached in his career, stating: "He can do everything. He is not the most prolific with goals or assists but he gives us and gives himself something that is not in the stats. He gives you a lot of things that is incredibly valuable for the team to win games."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Hear more from Guardiola on BBC Sounds

Shamoon Hafez
Manchester City reporter

It's a rare early start at Manchester City today for a 09:00 GMT news conference on this bitterly cold Friday morning.

That may be because of travel arrangements for Saturday's trip to Newcastle as Premier League teams make their return to action following the international break.

City comprehensively defeated champions Liverpool in their previous game and statistics show Pep Guardiola's side have ran more covered more ground this season than any other top-flight side.

Do the running stats show they are fully re-energised? Have they put the disappointment of last season behind them?

Let's wait to see what Guardiola says.

Liverpool, Tottenham, Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal all retain an interest in Bournemouth and Ghana winger Antoine Semenyo, 25. (Talksport), external

Wolves have identified Manchester City's 23-year-old English goalkeeper James Trafford as a prime January target. (Teamtalk), external

But Manchester City could offer Trafford to Newcastle in a player-plus-cash deal to secure the services of 23-year-old England full-back Tino Livramento. (Teamtalk, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

Image source, Getty Images

One of potentially the biggest moments in English football is coming on Friday, but precious few people understand how important it could be or even know about it.

The Premier League is considering 'anchoring' wages, which would cap the amount any club could spend on their squad at five times the smallest central Premier League broadcasting and prize money payout.

It is a complex argument. The league and some clubs are considering it because they want to ensure wage inflation does not continue to rise endangering their long-term financial security. From the other side - the players and their union, the PFA - this unnaturally limits the amount they can earn in what has until now been a free and open market.

Any changes to that position foisted upon the players without their prior consultation and agreement will not go down well. Remember, the players are the people that the paying public, the TV companies and the advertisers want to see, not a bunch of chairmen, executives and directors arguing over accounts, dividends and profit margins.

The game has increased the number of games played per season without consulting those who are physically doing it. No studies on how that will affect their health in the short and long term were considered, and so the PFA in England looks like it is finally ready to take a strong stand for its members.

Strike ballots are not unknown, I should know, as chairman of the PFA my name was on the bottom of every ballot paper when we last considered strike action over changes in working conditions. The modern owners may have forgotten, but we had 99% backing from our members.

Owners may think of footballers as ultra wealthy, mercenary, thickos who can easily be controlled - well they thought that last time and they lost.

It is time for serious and meaningful negotiation between equals and not a master and serf attitude from one side towards the other.

Sign up to read more from Pat Nevin in his Football Extra newsletter

Chris Collinson
BBC Sport statistician

One of the biggest stories of the Premier League season so far is the decline of goals scored in open play and how teams have been scoring more from set-pieces instead.

When we compare how goals have been scored to the first 11 games last season, there have been 39 fewer scored in open play and 26 more from team set-pieces and penalties, giving us 13 fewer overall.

If we look at the bigger picture and the number of shots teams are taking, there have been an incredible 370 fewer in open play than at this stage last time out.

So which teams are most responsible for this change in how goals are scored this season?

The above graph compares how teams have gone up or down in numbers of set-piece and goals from open play compared with the same stage last season.

In terms of goals scored from open play, Wolves have seen by far the biggest decline, scoring just four in 11 games and that is 10 fewer than at this stage last season.

Outside of Wolves, the Premier League's decline in open play goals is very much a London thing, with five of the capital's seven sides scoring at least five goals fewer from open play than last season.

In fairness, that is largely down to them scoring lots of goals at the start of last season rather than them really struggling to score in open play this campaign.

Meanwhile Manchester City have seen the biggest increase, with all but one of their 23 goals scored this season coming in open play.

When it comes to goals scored from set-pieces (excluding penalties), Arsenal and Chelsea have seen the biggest increase, with both sides replacing the five fewer goals that they have scored in open play with the same number from dead-ball situation.

Manchester United have scored twice as many goals from set-pieces as they did in the 11 games before Ruben Amorim took charge last season.

On the flipside, Manchester City do not seem to have got the memo about scoring more from set-pieces because they've scored three fewer than last season, as have Nottingham Forest, although that might be down to the change in style they have tried to implement.

Read more about this season's scoring trends here

Emlyn Begley
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

The Africa Cup of Nations kicks off earlier than usual this year, with up to 17 Premier League clubs set to be affected by players jetting off to host country Morocco.

The tournament runs from 21 December until 18 January.

There has been no official announcement about which date clubs will have to release their players by - and it could vary depending on agreements.

Players could miss up to six, or in some cases seven, Premier League matches - plus FA Cup and Carabao Cup games - if they reach the final.

The group stages end on 31 December, so quickly eliminated players may only miss half that amount.

Arsenal, Chelsea and Leeds do not have any players due to play in the 2025 Afcon - with Sunderland and Wolves losing the most players.

• Aston Villa - 1

• Bournemouth - 1

• Brentford - 2

• Brighton - 1

• Burnley - 3

• Crystal Palace - 1 to 4

• Everton - 2 to 3

• Fulham - 3

• Liverpool - 1

• Manchester City - 2

• Manchester United - 3

• Newcastle United - 0 to 1

• Nottingham Forest - 1 to 4

• Sunderland - 7

• Tottenham - 1 to 2

• West Ham United - 2

• Wolves - 5

Read the full article here to know which players will feature at Afcon

Netherlands defender Nathan Ake, 30, is one of three Manchester City players weighing up their future before the January transfer window. (Mail - subscription required), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Freddie Pye
Fan writer

Which player is flying?: Aside from the obvious in a certain Norwegian, Jeremy Doku is currently a man performing at the very highest level and making the difference in matches. He has found his range in goalscoring opportunities, creating, assisting and scoring for himself - a stark contrast to his first few seasons.

Which player is floundering?: Savinho. After a summer marred by transfer uncertainty and injury, the Brazilian is looking so far off the pace and raising the question among supporters as to whether Manchester City really should have gone ahead and cashed in on Tottenham's big-money proposals. There is immense pressure on the winger and we are only a few weeks since he signed a long-term contract.

Tactically I think we... look strong. There is real attacking urgency and threat about this latest iteration of Pep Guardiola's side and a new-found control and physicality that was certainly lost last campaign. There is an ability to sit in and defend, counter attack with pace and vibrance, and create against a deep block.

I want my manager to give me more... of Matheus Nunes and Nico O'Reilly as our full-back pairing. Stability is crucial and in a problem position such as full-back, City may have found their much-needed answer, despite recruiting Rayan Ait-Nouri and the failure to sign a natural right-sided option.

Our fans seem obsessed with... Rayan Cherki, and rightly so! The Frenchman is a rare sight in the modern game; a player fearless to try the impossible and a constant desire to entertain. He may not be a replacement for Kevin de Bruyne - and perhaps no footballer could ever hit the heights of the legendary attacking midfielder in terms of assist output - but Cherki could offer traits that the Belgian maybe could not.

But they should be thinking about... how early on we are in the Cherki era. It is almost as if this was a player crying out to see his natural abilities nurtured by a top-level coach and footballing genius, now happening with Guardiola. This is just the start of a potential rise to superstardom.

My expectations for the season were... about challenging more strongly and getting a feeling of dominance back. But after the resurgence we've had since the back-to-back defeats in August, a serious push for the Premier League title is certainly a possibility.

Score for the season so far: 7.5/10, only because of the inconsistencies at the start of the season which naturally brought some nervousness.

One sentence on how you're feeling right now: While I am not necessarily confident of success in May and June next year, and the direction of the major pieces of silverware, I am excited about watching this team play. The fresh energy has been brought about by the new faces and the resurgence of Phil Foden and Doku, with all that feeding into a new form of Erling Haaland - something we thought was not even possible!

Find more from Freddie Pye at City Xtra, external

Over the past week, we have been asking you to send in the best Premier League XI your club could have put together.

We know football existed before 1992 but as a Leeds United fan asked our experts on the club to name theirs - using the Ask Me Anything form on the Whites - we stuck with their parameters.

Here is BBC Sport's Manchester City fan writer Freddie's effort.

And you can ask us about the club using the City Ask Me Anything form at the top of this page or here

Find more from Freddie Pye at City Xtra, external

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is impressed by Cologne's Germany winger Said El Mala, 19, and is having him closely monitored by scouts. (Sky Sports Germany - in German), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

We have, roughly, run the numbers and here is the XI your submissions have produced.

In many ways, City fans are spoiled for choice but there was also reasonable consensus about who should make this stellar line-up.

With 4-4-2 the most chosen formation, it does mean perhaps slightly unusual positioning for a couple of these players, but it certainly would not hold them back.

And a strikeforce of Erling Haaland and Sergio Aguero would light up the Premier League.

Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

The statistics might say playing at home is an advantage - but what happens when it is not?

So far this season, 53% of Premier League matches have been won by the home team - the highest ever rate in a single campaign.

On the flip side, just 26% have been won by the away team - the lowest rate since 2010-11.

However, this has not been the case for all teams.

For some, being on the road has been more favourable. Tottenham are perhaps the most contrasting example having the joint-most points away from home with 13, but the second-worst in front of their own fans with just five points.

In the second part of her chat with BBC Sport, performance psychologist Marie Cartwright explained: "With crowds when playing away from home, there is a reduced scrutiny as a whole for away teams in that those crowds expect the home team to be the ones in charge. The players feel less judged. The pressure is on the other side.

"Another reason could come down to something in psychology I like to call simplification of the task. The team has a better collective identity when they are away.

"The human brain still goes back to the cavemen days. We have to, as a collective, fight for something. We have to protect our name. It goes back to that hunter-gatherer-against-danger mentality.

"When players are in front of a home crowd, there can be a bit of playing up to the individuality.

"I really do believe that collective identity has a strong enough influence because it amplifies the purpose and the belonging - let's belong together, let's be stronger together."

The focus might be on the players' performances being impacted by being home or away, but what about the managers?

Wolves, West Ham and Nottingham Forest make up three of the bottom four for their home records so far this term, and all have changed their manager in recent weeks.

"100% managers and coaches can be affected, and sometimes even more so because there is so much riding on that one person," Cartwright said.

"The decision-making is the main thing. The crowd is chanting - 'take this player off, do this' - and it can lead to rushed decisions, particularly when the noise becomes relentless.

"Then there is the emotional regulation and touchline behaviour. A manager is pacing up and down, mirroring the stress state, and players see that. It can lead to mimicking and players feeling that stress too."

The impact on teams psychologically playing home or away is apparent, so how can they make the most from these different conditions?

"Our brains are wired to think negatively - it's a protection mechanism," Cartwright said.

"So when it comes to performing home and away, those players and managers who deal with it best are those who know how to use the noise and scrutiny and move on quickly from it - an ability to have a reset routine and regulate their emotions in these pressurised situations."

Read more from Marie in part one of her chat around the impact of playing at home here

Emlyn Begley
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Generational goalgetter Erling Haaland will get a crack at his first major tournament next summer, after leading Norway to the 2026 World Cup.

And the Manchester City striker did it in sensational style, scoring 16 goals in eight qualifiers - netting at least once in every one of those games.

That makes him the top scorer in World Cup qualifying in any continent.

The 25-year-old's goalscoring record for Norway is nothing short of phenomenal.

He has hit 55 goals in 48 matches for his country and in fact he is only the sixth player ever, and the first in 53 years, to score 50 goals in fewer than 50 caps.

Norway's previous top scorer was 33-goal Jorgen Juve, who held that record for 90 years.

Over a year has passed since Haaland last failed to score in a game for Norway.

Including games for City, Haaland has scored 32 goals in 20 games this season.

For the first time in a generation, Norway fans will experience the joy of supporting their team at an international tournament.

Their nation competed in the World Cups in 1938, 1994 and 1998, and Euro 2000.

Haaland's father, Alf Inge, played at the 1994 tournament. Erling has previously said being better than his father was a big career ambition for him.

Alfie never won a trophy with clubs like Nottingham Forest, Leeds and Manchester City.

Erling has won the Treble with City, another title too and trophies in Austria and Germany.

A World Cup appearance was probably the only thing his dad's career had over his.

"Norway will never win the World Cup," Haaland Jr told Time Magazine in July., external

"If we would qualify for the World Cup, it would be like another big nation winning it. It would be the biggest party ever. Scenes in Oslo would be incredible."

Manchester City are monitoring Eintracht Frankfurt left-back Nathaniel Brown, 22, who made his senior debut for the German national team in October. (Bild - in German), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

"Home advantage gives you an advantage."

It is a quote - among many - attributed to the famous former England manager Sir Bobby Robson - a simple, yet fair reflection of a historical format of football.

For as long as teams have played in leagues, games taking place home and away has been the norm, with the idea that playing at home will be to the benefit of that team.

But what is the impact of playing at your own ground in front of your own fans?

In the first part of her chat with BBC Sport, performance psychologist Marie Cartwright explained: "Home impact can be viewed in two ways. Sometimes it does have a positive impact, and what happens is there is an elevated motivation.

"What that means is the crowd energy increases adrenaline and that creates a momentum in effort and intensity in the players. It is also a familiar environment for the players, so that means it reduces the cognitive load. They don't have to think as much about anything else other than their play because they know the pitch, they know the routines, they feel settled.

"However, there are a couple of potential negative impacts as well, with the potential intensification in pressure in the home fans, most times, expecting dominance from the home team. That can lead to mistakes from players feeling bigger to them.

"There can then be what we call a threat state. The players might perceive consequences as high, so they feel they might be facing more criticism when they are at home."

While those who watch football know there are more factors than just where the match is being to take into consideration, the statistics do suggest the influence is there.

Since the Premier League started, the home win percentage has outweighed the away win percentage in all bar one season - the Covid-hit 2020-21 campaign in which fans were largely not allowed admission saw a 38% home win rate compared to 40% away win rate.

So how a team handles this additional crowd pressure seems to be a key factor.

"In psychology, there is something called the challenge and threat theory," Cartwright said.

"In reality what that means is a 'challenge state' can push the player into thinking, 'I've got this, I've got the resources to cope with this'. That leads to better decision making and quicker reactions.

"The threat state, on the other hand, players might think the consequences outweigh their ability to cope. In any match context, that can mean they have a narrow sense of focus, the focus is not quite the same, so the play becomes slower because of overthinking."

"It can also be called 'red brain or blue brain' - with red brain being the one with fear-based dialogue and internal negative self-talk, while blue brain is the cool, calm and collected one that can handle its emotions.

"What sits in the middle of these is distraction. How a player responds to distraction and filters out the noise, like the crowd, can impact which of these mindsets they move into and ultimately how the team performs."

Read more from Marie in part two of her chat about why teams some teams play better away from home and how it impacts managers - that will be on this page early next week.

Image source, Getty Images

We wanted your suggestions for Manchester City's all-time best Premier League XI.

You have provided us with an interesting selection so here's some of your picks:

Bob: 4-4-2. Ederson, Walker, Kompany, Dias, O'Reilly, Doku, David Silva, De Bruyne, Mahrez, Haaland, Aguero. Team of world beaters from a few years ago with added modern strengths.

Chris: 3-5-2. Ederson, Walker, Kompany, Stones, De Bruyne, Yaya Toure, Rodri, D Silva, Foden, S Aguero, Haaland. I'm not convinced Erling and Sergio could play together but can't leave either out. I'm sure that midfield would create for them both and score a few themselves!

Daveed: 4-4-2. Ederson - multiple trophies won already. Walker, Kompany, Dias, Gvardiol - again trophies amongst them and a blend of experience with Kompany captain. Silva, Toure, Fernandinho, De Bruyne - basically four of my six top players woven into a classy midfield. Haaland and Aguero. I'm just going big up front and they should surely feed of one another.

Andrew: 4-1-3-2: Donnarumma, Walker, Kompany, Stones, Cancelo, David Silva, De Bruyne, Rodri, Sane, Haaland, Aguero. Legends and legends in the making together. Absolute world beaters.