'I don't see how': Paul Merson has made his prediction on who will win on Saturday - Manchester City or Newcastle United

Premier League champions Manchester City will host Newcastle United on Saturday in a 3pm non-televised kick-off looking to bounce back from another defeat.

Pep Guardiola's side fell to a late defeat in midweek in the first leg of the Champions League play-off with the second leg next week.

Facing Newcastle couldn't really come at a worse time for them with their attention focused elsewhere.

However, that's a trap that Newcastle need to be careful not to fall into again with the Carabao Cup final on the horizon.

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Paul Merson believes Manchester City are a shadow of their former selves

Both of these factors have gone into Paul Merson's thinking when predicting who will win on Saturday for Sportskeeda. Merson goes on a long rant about Manchester City being far from the side they once were which is worth a read, but we've cut it down to the more relevant points for Saturday's game.

"Newcastle will have one eye on the Carabao Cup final and that could be a problem in the race for top four. The players could even hold themselves back due to the fear of getting injured and missing the cup final. If you're a Newcastle fan, you would pick the Carabao Cup trophy any day instead of a place in the Champions League though! I'm not sure the owners will think the same way, but Newcastle fans know this is their best chance of tasting some silverware again.

"I don't see how Man City can win this game and I'd be shocked if Newcastle get beat, even though they're away from home.

"Prediction: Manchester City 1-2 Newcastle United"

The pundits are backing Newcastle so far

Merson and Jamie Carragher have both gone for a 1-2 win for Newcastle, which would be absolutely fantastic and would really open things up in the race for the top four spots.

We'd definitely rather lift a trophy than qualify for the Champions League, but why does it have to be a choice? We can do this!

To be honest, we can't believe this game hasn't been picked for live broadcast as Man City vs Newcastle is always entertaining.