Man City given perfect opportunity to show their mean streak vs Newcastle

Remember in January when Southampton could not have been in a more unhappy position yet were gifted a Carabao Cup semi-final by possibly the worst Manchester City performance in seven years under Pep Guardiola? How about in February when Spurs were in dire form but still picked up their customary home win over the Blues thanks to an atrocious error backed up by a non-existent attacking threat?

City have been too soft too often this season, giving opponents rewards that nobody else has offered up. On Saturday they face a Newcastle side that have lost all of their momentum after falling out of the top four and limping to a tame defeat in the League Cup final against a beatable United.

If City are to have serious ambitions about retaining their Premier League title, they cannot allow themselves to be the fall guys for any Newcastle rejuvenation. Instead, they have to do what they have done so often under Guardiola and ruthlessly keep opponents down.

Also read: Guardiola hits out at City unfair treatment over timewasting

The manager joked about being sorry to have ended Bristol City's 12-match unbeaten run in midweek but he will have plenty to feel sad about this weekend if Eddie Howe ends up celebrating his first win in five matches.

Newcastle executives and fans will get to witness how City have gone about expanding their fanbase while retaining atmosphere inside the ground. It has not always been linear progress for the Blues in terms of adding more corporate areas and increasing the revenue that matchdays deliver while keeping the noise and commitment from fans that they already had, but the expansion plans in the North Stand show that they have got plenty right.

If Newcastle aren't too proud to admit that they