The next round of Premier League action commences on Saturday with a lunchtime fixture that looks pretty scintillating, at least on paper. Manchester City will have their first fixture of many without central midfielder supreme Rodri, who will be out, in the words of manager Pep Guardiola, “a long time.”
“Still we don’t have the definitive [diagnosis] but he will be out for a long time – a while,” the City boss said after the club confirmed that Rodri has a knee ligament injury.
Newcastle United vs Manchester City FYIs
Kickoff: Sat. Sept. 28, 12:30pm, St. James Park
Preview Content for Both Teams: Starting XI Predictions Team News
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
PL Form, Standings: Man City 1st, 13 pts, WWWWD Newcastle 6th, 10 pts, WDWWL
Google Result Probability: Man City 60% Draw 21% Newcastle 19%
Team News for Both Sides
“But there are some opinions that maybe it will be less than we expected.
City are unbeaten in the last 48 Premier League matches in which the Spaniard started. Meanwhile the Sky Blues got beat in four out of the five games that Rodri missed last season, which just shows you what an MVP he truly is.
Meanwhile another star midfielder, Kevin De Bruyne, faces a late fitness test to feature against Newcastle on Saturday. Finally, Oscar Bobb (lower leg) and Nathan Ake (thigh) remain out.
Shifting gears to the Geordies, Alexander Isak was clearly not himself last weekend (he’s battling two different injuries, at the same time) as he featured despite not being 100% fully fit. Kudos to him for playing through the pain and we’ll just have to wait and see if he’s totally match fit this weekend.
Finally, Sven Botman (knee), Jamaal Lascelles (knee), Lewis Miley (ankle) and Callum Wilson (back) are all still out for the longer-term.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.