At first, Manchester City looked unstoppable. They started the season like a house on fire, winning their first five Premier League games -- including a 3-0 home win over Chelsea -- with little trouble. It finally seemed like Manuel Pellegrini had stumbled on a winning formula, with City delivering the kind of brilliantly free-flowing performances he'd been looking for since taking charge. And then, things inexplicably fell off. They've lot three of their last five in all competitions, including a home defeat to West Ham United and an away hammering by Tottenham Hotspur. Suddenly, they're looking beatable again.
Manchester City vs. Newcastle 2015 live stream: Time, TV schedule and how to watch online
Manchester City should be able to get back to their winning ways in the Premier League against struggling Newcastle.
Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Looking to take advantage on Saturday will be Newcastle United, who have put together an awful start to the season. Only their northeast rivals Sunderland have amassed fewer than the Magpies' three points in the opening seven rounds of football, with neither side having yet recorded a victory. It's getting to the point where a gap to safety is already opening out, which is rather alarming at this stage of the season. Despite the difficulty of this match, another defeat would only heap more pressure on manager Steve McClaren.
Key player: David Silva (Manchester City)
The man Newcastle will be most anxious to keep quiet is David Silva, with the Spanish playmaker having been an instrumental part of City’s flying start. Deployed in an attacking midfield role, Silva is a master at finding just enough space to play the killer pass, and his lateral movement across the field makes him a nightmare for opposing defenses to mark. It could be pretty funny watching Newcastle try.
When they last met: Manchester City 5-0 Newcastle United, Feb. 21, 2015
We probably should have seen Newcastle's horrific start to the season coming. It's been in the making for a while. They weren't great under Alan Pardew in the first half of last season, but his exit only seemed to exacerbate the problem. Under his successor John Carver, they won just two of 16 matches, and suffered a 5-0 smashing away at the Etihad. Segio Agüero opened the scoring after just two minutes, before Samir Nasri, the now-departed Edin Džeko and Silva (twice) got themselves on the scoresheet.
Manchester City injuries and suspensions
Out: Gaël Clichy (ankle/foot); Fabian Delph (hamstring); Kelechi Iheanacho (groin/pelvis); Eliaquim Mangala (unspecified muscle); Vincent Kompany (calf/shin). In doubt: Samir Nasri, Wilfried Bony (knock).
Newcastle United injuries and suspensions
Out: Papiss Cissé (back); Steven Taylor (hamstring); Emmanuel Rivière (knee); Curtis Good (hip/thigh). In doubt: Cheick Tioté, Massadio Haïdara (knee); Paul Dummett (hamstring); Sylvain Marveaux (groin); Rolando Aarons (calf/shin); Jack Colback (unspecified muscle).
Manchester City will still be without a few first-team regulars, including defenders Vincent Kompany and Eliaquim Mangala. They hope to have Nasri and Wilfried Bony back available, though.
Newcastle’s injury list is even longer, though plenty of McClaren’s players are believed to be on the brink of returning from their layoffs. He’ll be hoping to have a few players back available by the time this match comes around.
Match Date/Time: Saturday, 10 a.m. ET, 3 p.m. local
Venue: Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England
TV: NBCSN (U.S. -- English), NBC Universo (U.S. -- Spanish), Sportsnet regional networks (Canada)
Online: NBC Sports Live Extra (U.S. - English), NBC Deportes En Vivo Extra (U.S. - Spanish), Sportsnet World Now (Canada)
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