Sergio Aguero
Sergio Aguero has not been in fotm this season Getty

Manchester City host Newcastle United as the Citizens look to get back to winning ways following a two-game blip. Meanwhile, Newcastle are without a win thus far in the tournament and need to get their act together or face being embroiled in a relegation battle as early as October.

Where to Watch Live

Kick-off is set for 3pm BST. Highlights of the game will be on BBC Match of the Day at 10:30pm on BBC One.

Overview

A win will be a major boost for Manuel Pellegrini, after Manchester City lost at home to Juventus in their first group game, and would go a long way in establishing his side's progress in the Champions League.

But Manchester City are without a number of their big stars for the game, with David Silva and Yaya Toure both unavailable after being hauled off midway in their win over Bayer Monchengladbach in midweek. Vincent Kompany has missed the last three games and will also be unavailable against Newcastle. Joe Hart is also likely to be back following Willy Caballero's disastrous showing against Tottenham.

Newcastle need to put their act together in the next few weeks or Steve McClaren will have an uphill task in keeping his team in the Premier League. His 2-2 draw with Chelsea should give him some confidence that his team can bounce back in the race, but they need to get in a win quickly in order to alleviate the pressure on his players.

Aleksandar Mitrović's return from suspension should be a boost for the manager who was shown a straight red for his stamp on Francis Coquelin against Arsenal. However, the Magpies have managed to get points against Manchester United and Chelsea previously and will be optimistic of throwing up a good fight against another top four candidate.

What Managers Say

Manuel Pellegrini: "He is a very important player for the team, he is the captain [on missing Kompany]. We are going to miss him, but we cannot say because Vincent is not playing we are conceding goals. We have other players. I always say that defending is part of the complete team – not one player."

Steve McClaren: "The pressure will always be there. There is pressure to perform at the standard we want. You should have that pressure and fear. That makes you concentrated. We will need that to get anything at the Etihad. Consistency is now what we are after from that level of performance against Chelsea. That is how we want to play, the first half. We fought all the way and defended well in the second half. We have been inconsistent from the start of the season, some good, some bad. Seven games in we are getting closer to our style and level of play."

Betting Odds (by 888Sport)

  • Manchester City Win: 1/4
  • Draw: 113/19
  • Newcastle WIn: 113/10

Team News

Manchester City

Possible XI: Hart, Sagna, Mangala, Otamendi, Kolarov, Fernando, Fernandinho, De Bruyne, Silva, Sterling; Aguero

Newcastle United

Possible XI: Krul, Janmaat, Mbemba, Coloccini, Mbabu; Sissoko, Anita, Colback, Wijnaldum, Perez, Mitrović

Manchester City FC Newcastle united