Even though Newcastle United leads Manchester City by 16 points in the standings, Pep Guardiola has called them one of his “rivals.”
In second position, City is now five points ahead of Newcastle, who are plagued by injuries. Eddie Howe stated that he was “determined to try and get closer to them.”
The games between the two teams have definitely gotten closer, with only one goal separating the teams in each of their three meetings so far this season. Newcastle finished in the top four the previous season.
How different things were in 2016 when Guardiola took over at City and Newcastle wasn’t even in the Premier League. Since then, the surroundings have slightly altered.
