Two clubs chasing the 2014-15 Premier League title will do battle today in a league match between Newcastle United and Manchester City. The first-division clash scheduled for 11 a.m. ET will be held at St. James' Park in Newcastle and can be live streamed here free. Additional TV coverage can be found on NBC Sports.
Not even an undressing at the hands of Arsenal in the 2014 Community Shield was enough to concern Manuel Pellegrini. Understanding he was without a slew of key contributors, the Manchester City boss is confident his men will be ready for today's encounter with Newcastle.
"It was not a good performance [against Arsenal]", Pellegrini admitted (via the Daily Mail). "We played with a lack of pace that's not usual in our team. I don't know what happened. In the second half, we improved. We had the chances, but Arsenal scored with their only shot in the half. We have to talk about it and try to arrange it."
"I'm not so worried about the pace," he added. "We had important players missing today. I'm sure we'll be ready to start the Premier League on Sunday. In the Premier League, you have five or six teams who can win. In this moment, we must demonstrate why we won the title this year."
It starts with a comprehensive response against Newcastle United this afternoon.
Tactical Preview
Player to Watch: Charged with stymying City's counter-attack is Newcastle's Cheick Tiote. The 28-year-old made 33 appearances for the club last season, averaging a respectable 3.2 tackles and 1.9 interceptions per match.
Newcastle United's Projected Lineup (4-2-3-1): Krul; Colback, Coloccini, Williamson, Janmaat; Anita, Tiote; Sissoko, Jong, Cabella; Riviere
Manchester City's Projected Lineup (4-2-3-1): Hart; Clichy, Demichelis, Kompany, Zabaleta; Fernandinho, Toure; Nasri, Silva, Navas; Aguero
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (statistics and lineups via WhoScored).
Standings
| Rnk | Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | +/- | Pts | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |||
| 1 | Swansea City | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |||
| 3 | Aston Villa | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | |||
| 3 | Hull City | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | |||
| 3 | Tottenham Hotspur | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | |||
| 6 | Everton | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | |||
| 6 | Leicester City | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | |||
| 6 | Sunderland | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | |||
| 6 | West Bromwich Albion | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | |||
| 10 | Burnley | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 10 | Chelsea | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 10 | Liverpool | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 10 | Manchester City | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 10 | Newcastle United | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 10 | Southampton | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 16 | Crystal Palace | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 0 | |||
| 16 | Manchester United | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 0 | |||
| 18 | Queens Park Rangers | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 | |||
| 18 | Stoke City | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 | |||
| 18 | West Ham United | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
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