Erling Haaland confined his stellar form this season over the international break with back-to-back braces for Norway against Estonia and Italy. Haaland had five shots on target across these games, highlighting just how much of a threat he is in the penalty box at the moment.

Haaland had netted five goals across his five appearances in all competitions just before the international break, and he shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon, with City now being a side that has been constructed to suit his main strengths. Guardiola hasn’t been naive to the shift in direction of the Premier League, and has adapted his team accordingly, with Haaland being the main benefactor.

Haaland has had 27 shots on target across his 11 Premier League appearances this season (2.56 per 90). This is more than any other player in the Premier League. Haaland has had 2+ shots on target in eight of his 11 Premier League appearances this season, too.

It’s also worth noting that Haaland has had a hand in 15 of Manchester City’s 23 goals in the Premier League this season (65%). This further highlights how much City’s approach is centred around the forward.

Donnarumma has been one of the more interesting summer signings to watch so far this season, as his inclusion coincides with City changing their overall style of play. Donnarumma was likely brought in for his dominance of his six yard box, which is invaluable in a league that has become obsessed with set-pieces.

He’s been forced into making 15 saves across his eight Premier League matches (1.88 per game), maintaining a save percentage of 78.9% - the second highest of any goalkeeper in the Premier League this season behind Sunderland’s Robin Roefs (79.6%).

Newcastle may not rank highly among many attacking metrics this season, but have managed to draw 2+ saves from the opposition keeper in eight of their 11 Premier League matches. This includes four of their five home matches, with the exception of their 3-2 defeat against Liverpool, which was a contest in which they were reduced to 10 men.

All four head-to-head meetings that have taken place between these sides since January last year have seen 2+ goals. Man City most recently ran out 4-0 winners over Newcastle when the sides clashed at the Etihad back in February, with Omar Marmoush netting a hat-trick on that occasion.

Newcastle have seen 2+ goals in each of their last five matches across all competitions. They lost 3-1 against Brentford on the road just before the international break, leaving the Magpies 14th in the table and in desperate need of a positive result.

Their games at St James’ Park have been entertaining, with their five matches producing 14 goals (2.8 per game). Four of Newcastle’s five games at St James’ Park this season have seen 2+ goals.

City hit a strong vein of form just before the international break, winning each of their last four matches, with each of these games producing 2+ goals. City have seen 11 goals across their five away matches in the Premier League this season (2.2 per game).

Phil Foden is slowly growing back to his best form after an off season last campaign, which is a tag that can be applied to the squad as a whole. Foden registered a rare goal contribution for England from the bench against Serbia during the international break, setting up Eberechi Eze’s superb goal to wrap up the three points for the Three Lions.

Foden has registered two goal contributions in the Premier League this season, which have come against Bournemouth and Man United. He appears to benefit from the inclusion of Rayan Cherki in the starting XI, with Doku’s electric form also allowing Foden to feel more settled in the side.

Outside of Erling Haaland, City really don’t carry much of a goal threat, so players like Foden need to step up with the type of tally he produced in the 23/24 season, where he netted 27 goals and provided 12 assists. He’s registered 11 goal contributions overall across his 18 appearances in all competitions (7 goals, 4 assists).

Kieran Trippier is in for a long and laborious evening here, as he’s set to line up against Jeremy Doku. Doku has matured into one of the best wingers in Europe, he’s always been electric to watch, but lacked end product and composure in previous campaigns, which is something that he appears to have rectified this season.

His performance against Liverpool just before the international break was one of the most memorable from a winger in recent memory. He tormented Conor Bradley throughout the contest, managing to tempt the young fullback into committing a foul and picking up a yellow card. Bradley contested 13 duels in that game, with Doku being a handful throughout, which is what we can expect from him at St James’ Park here.

Trippier has picked up just one yellow card so far this season, which is quite surprising when considering his overall temperament and tendency to lash out. He’s committed 13 fouls across his nine Premier League appearances this season (1.67 per 90), which is more in line with the aggression we expect from the fullback.

I’ve enjoyed watching Malick Thiaw for Newcastle so far, I wasn’t quite sure how he would adapt to the intense speed of the game in the Premier League having come over from Serie A, but he looks like a natural fit for the division. He’s struck up a decent partnership with Sven Botman, with Newcastle currently dealing with a variety of injuries to their backline.

One of Thiaw’s key attributes is his aerial ability. He has won 75% of the aerial duels he’s contested in the Premier League this season, suggesting that he is a player that can be a real threat from set pieces for Newcastle. Man City have shifted to a more physical approach this term, but they still are far from the biggest side in the world, which is something that Newcastle can look to exploit.

Newcastle also look to be more willing to make the most of this strength than AC Milan did, with Thiaw already matching his shot count from last season this term (7 - 1.00 per 90). Two of these attempts have found the target, both in home matches against Nottingham Forest and Arsenal.