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Man City vs Newcastle United predicted lineup and confirmed team news
07th March, 2026 12:57 PM
Pep Guardiola is likely to field a strong Manchester City lineup when they face Newcastle United in the FA Cup on Saturday, March 7, 2026, with a quarter-final ticket in sight.
City will head to St. James’ Park for their fifth-round clash before quickly turning their attention to Europe. Just four days later, they are scheduled to travel to the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium for a last-16 first-leg meeting with Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League.
The side has already secured a place in the final of the EFL Cup, where they will face Arsenal. They are also still firmly in contention for the Premier League title, meaning the club could still achieve a historic quadruple this season.
Even with a busy run of matches ahead, Guardiola has made it clear that the FA Cup remains a major priority for his team, suggesting he will not heavily rotate his squad against the Magpies.
City’s predicted lineup
Following his usual strategy of rotating goalkeepers in cup matches, Guardiola is expected to start James Trafford while giving Gianluigi Donnarumma a rest.
Trafford previously impressed during the EFL Cup semi-final meetings between City and Newcastle, notably keeping a clean sheet in the first leg at St. James’ Park as City secured a 2-0 victory.
Meanwhile, Antoine Semenyo, who scored in that match, is expected to retain his place in the lineup. Omar Marmoush could also be included after building a strong record when playing against Newcastle.
Up front, Erling Haaland is set to spearhead the attack after recovering from a minor injury that ruled him out of the recent win over Leeds United. In addition, Nico O’Reilly is expected to return after missing the 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest.
There could also be a change in central defence, with Abdukodir Khusanov potentially starting ahead of Ruben Dias to better handle Newcastle’s quick attacking players.
For Newcastle United, manager Eddie Howe revealed on Friday, March 6, 2026, that Nick Woltemade has recovered from an illness ahead of Saturday’s Emirates FA Cup fifth-round visit of Manchester City.
Predicted Man City XI: Trafford; Nunes, Khusanov, Guehi, Ait-Nouri; Rodri; Semenyo, Bernardo, O’Reilly; Haaland, Marmoush.
