Alan Padrew's side are the opponents for season opener at The Etihad
Manchester City vs Newcastle United
Date: 8pm Monday 19th August 2013
Venue: The Etihad Stadium, Manchester
Referee: Andre Marriner. Assistants: S Ledger, P Bankes. Fourth Official: P Dowd.
Television: Sky Sports
Odds: Manchester City 3/10, Draw 9/2, Newcastle 10/1
Tickets: limited availability. See www.mcfc.co.uk for further details.
Manchester City
Manager: Manuel Pellegrini
Squad (from): Joe Hart, Costel Pantilimon, Richard Wright, Gael Clichy, Aleksandar Kolarov, Vincent Kompany, Joleon Lescott, Micah Richards, Pablo Zabaleta, Gareth Barry, Fernandinho, Javi Garcia, James Milner, Samir Nasri, Jesus Navas, Abdul Razak, Jack Rodwell, David Silva, Yaya Toure, Sergio Aguero, Edin Dzeko, Stevan Jovetic, Álvaro Negredo
Injured: Matija Nastasic
Doubtful: Sergio Aguero
Suspended: none
Form guide: n/a
Newcastle United
Manager: Alan Pardew
Squad (from): Tim Krul, Rob Elliot, Fabricio Coloccini, Davide Santon, Mike Williamson, Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, Massadio Haidara, Mathieu Debuchy, Steven Taylor, James Tavernier, Yohan Cabaye, Moussa Sissoko, Vurnon Anita, Hatem Ben Arfa, Dan Gosling, Romain Amalfitano, Jonas Gutierrez, Gael Bigirimana, Sylvain Marveaux, Cheick Tiote, Gabriel Obertan, Haris Vuckic, Mehdi Abeid, Papiss Cisse, Yoan Gouffran, Shola Ameobi, Sammi Ameobi
Injured: Loic Remy, Ryan Taylor
Doubtful: Jonas Gutierrez
Suspended: none
Form guide: n/a
Newcastle United are the visitors for Manchester City's opening game of the 2013/14 season, and City will be hoping to continue their recent impressive form against the Magpies. The Blues have won nine of the last eleven encounters between the two teams, with seven consecutive victories.
New manager Manuel Pellegrini has virtually a fully fit squad to choose from, although Matija Nastasic is injured and Sergio Aguero remains a doubt having missed much of pre-season. New signings Fernandinho, Jesus Navas, Stevan Jovetic and Alvaro Negredo are all expected to feature at some point, although Pellegrini himself is unlikely to know his strongest starting XI at this stage. The Blues have experimented with a number of formations and line-ups during pre-season, and it is unclear which system Pellegrini will favour.
Newcastle have experienced a tumultuous pre-season, with the furore surrounding Joe Kinnear's surprise appointment as Director of Football. The move hasn't proved popular with Newcastle fans, and doubts remain about the ability of Kinnear and Alan Pardew to work harmoniously together. Newcastle retain a strong core of players, but lack strength in depth. Loic Remy, on loan from QPR, is the only addition so far, whilst Danny Simpson, James Perch and Steve Harper have all left for pastures new.