Manchester City have the chance to get back to winning ways when they host winless Newcastle United at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
The two-time Premier League champions lost their place at the summit following back-to-back defeats, while the Magpies have scooped just three points from a possible 21.
Manchester City
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Manuel Pellegrini's side were predicted to be the biggest challengers to Chelsea's English crown before the campaign got underway, and they did not disappoint by storming to five consecutive victories.
The North-West outfit were once again one of the major spenders in the summer transfer window, with the arrivals of Raheem Sterling, Nicolas Otamendi, Fabian Delph and Kevin de Bruyne all pushing the budget way above the £100m mark.
An aura of invincibility surrounded the team as they picked off their opponents, including Chelsea, with ease, and scored eight goals in five games in the process, but they hit a stumbling block when faced with a West Ham United side who had already beaten Arsenal and Liverpool on away soil.
After suffering a 2-1 defeat to the Hammers, City let their top spot in the league table fall to local rivals Manchester United when they were embarrassed by Tottenham Hotspur in a 4-1 drubbing.
Cracks began to appear with Sergio Aguero looking to have another inconsistent spell in and out of the team with injuries, while captain Vincent Kompany has also been niggling with problems.
Despite losing two on the bounce, City head into Saturday's fixture having come from a goal down to seal a 2-1 victory over Borussia Monchengladbach in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Recent form: WWWWLL
Recent form (all competitions): WWLWLW
Newcastle United
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It is safe to say that Steve McClaren could not have had a worse start to his position as Newcastle United manager. The North-East outfit are seven Premier League games without a win, and are just one point above arch rivals Sunderland, who languish at the bottom of the table.
There was reason for optimism on Tyneside when McClaren entered the fold as a replacement for interim boss John Carver, who steered Newcastle away from relegation in the dying stages of the 2014-15 campaign.
However, an opening-day 2-2 draw against Southampton set the tone for the upcoming games as they struggled to see off their opponents. The disciplinary record was also called into question after Daryl Janmaat and Aleksandar Mitrovic were given red cards inside the first four games.
Newcastle have conceded goals in every game bar one in the top flight, which was a goalless draw with Manchester United, but there was optimism last weekend when they took on out-of-form Chelsea at St James' Park.
Ayoze Perez struck in the first half before Georginio Wijnaldum doubled the Magpies' lead in the 60th minute of the clash, but it was the same old story for Newcastle as they conceded twice inside seven minutes to settle for a point.
Facing the former champions on away turf will be a massive task for the North-East club, especially considering that the statistics are not in their favour; they have won just one of their last 18 top-flight games, while McClaren has scooped victory just twice in 20 league matches as a manager.
Recent form: LDLLLD
Recent form (all competitions): DLLLLD
Team News
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Manchester City have a number of key players still on the sidelines ahead of this match, and there are question marks over David Silva and Yaya Toure, both of whom were hauled off the pitch during last night's Champions League game against Gladbach.
Pellegrini claimed after the fixture that Toure was not '100%' fit before the European fixture, and has since confirmed that he will miss this weekend's match, while Silva is likely to face a late assessment.
Skipper Kompany will not be part of the team as he continues to nurse a calf injury, but Eliaquim Mangala has returned and is expected to partner Otamendi at the back.
Following his heroics against Gladbach, goalkeeper Joe Hart is likely to return between the sticks after Willy Caballero conceded four against Tottenham last weekend.
For Newcastle, given that the 4-4-2 formation caused Chelsea trouble, McClaren might opt for the same, with Perez and Mitrovic providing the goal threat at the Etihad.
Kevin Mbabu impressed on his starting debut by keeping Pedro quiet at St James' Park last weekend, so the full-back might be preferred to Massadio Haidara once again, while Vurnon Anita could keep his spot in midfield.
Manchester City possible starting lineup:
Hart; Sagna, Mangala, Otamendi, Kolarov; Fernando, Fernandinho, De Bruyne, Silva, Sterling; Aguero
Newcastle United possible starting lineup:
Krul; Janmaat, Mbemba, Coloccini, Mbabu; Sissoko, Anita, Colback, Wijnaldum; Perez, Mitrovic
Head To Head
The record books are firmly in Man City's favour as they are unbeaten in their last 17 matches against Newcastle, winning 15 and securing two draws, which in turn is their longest ever run without losing a single point against a fellow Premier League side.
In the last five matches between the two clubs, Newcastle have not managed to find the back of the net, with City scoring two or more goals in each of their last 14 top-flight meetings with the North-East outfit.
In this fixture last season, City romped to a 5-0 rout at the Etihad.
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Hit play below to see what the Sports Mole Sofa had to say about this encounter:
We say: Man City 3-0 Newcastle
City may have suffered back-to-back defeats in the Premier League, but it is difficult to see past a win for the Citizens this weekend. Pellegrini's side are back to home comforts and they have the momentum of grabbing a comeback win in the Champions League on Wednesday. Newcastle are desperate for all three points, but the opposition that they face will have too much quality for them to cause an upset.
Danielle Joynson
