Newcastle v Man City – live!

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<div class="track"><img alt="" src="http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.24.1.1/97896?ns=guardian&pageName=Newcastle+United+v+Manchester+City+*+live%21+%7C+Jacob+Steinberg%3AArticle%3A1741324&ch=Football&c3=GU.co.uk&c4=Premier+League+2011-12%2CNewcastle+United+%28Football%29%2CManchester+City+%28Football%29%2CPremier+League+%28Football%29%2CFootball%2CSport&c5=Unclassified%2CPremier+League&c6=Jacob+Steinberg&c7=12-May-06&c8=1741324&c9=Article&c10=Minute+by+minute%2CMatch+report&c11=Football&c13=&c25=&c30=content&c42=Sport&h2=GU%2FSport%2FFootball%2FPremier+League+2011-12" width="1" height="1" /></div><p class="standfirst">• Turn on our auto-refresh tool for the latest updates<br />• Email <a href="mailto:jacob.steinberg.casual@guardian.co.uk">jacob.steinberg.casual@guardian.co.uk</a><br />• <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/may/06/premier-league-clockwatch-live-football">Follow the rest of the games with Niall McVeigh</a><br />• <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/matches">And find out all the scores across Europe here</a></p><!-- Block 7 --><p><strong>The teams are now out of the tunnel.</strong> They'll be doing soccer soon!</p><!-- Block 6 --><p><strong>The teams are in the tunnel.</strong> Manchester City, again, are wearing those infernal blue tracksuit tops. They are a sartorial menace and must be stopped.</p><!-- Block 5 --><p><strong>Heresy corner:</strong> "Are we really meant to believe Cisse intended that second against Chelsea?" says David Price. "Surely it was a hit and hope and just happened to swerve and curl and end up in the only possile square foot of the goal from which it could have got past Cech? I realise Cisse is good - but while the crouch goal, say, or the rooney overhead was 'aimed for', as we used to say in the playground, Cisse just seemed to boot it in the general direction of the goal." This is harsh in the extreme. We should just enjoy these uplifting moments and I think the way he hit the ball, slicing across it with the outside of his boot, gives credence to the idea there was a modicum of a plan behind it.</p><!-- Block 4 --><p><strong>Manchester City</strong> have an eight-goal advantage over Manchester United at the moment. It's said that it's cruel to really humiliate sides and keep going for goals at the end of the game. That won't really fly if City win the league on goal difference. Doubtless City have had similar experiences this season, but United might look, say, to the game against Wolves when they were 5-0 up against 10 men with 30 minutes to go and then stopped playing. Or only beating 10-man QPR 2-0. So often you see dominant teams take their foot off the gas, ease off and perhaps this serves as a lesson against that.</p><!-- Block 3 --><p><strong>Emails.</strong> "Whatever happened to Santon?" says Michael Hunt. "He was bursting through as a bright spark at Inter last I really knew of him, performing under Mourinho, and much as he is performing well in an excellent Newcastle team, it still would not be seen as a step up for him. Especially as (and I am prepared to be proved wrong here) young Italians tend not to prove themselves in English teams (Maccarone et al) whereas experienced ones can. And Balotelli is proving himself bit by bit but I don't think that Balotelli can be taken as an example of anything apart from being Balotelli." I'm not entirely sure to be honest, but he's settling in well. Maybe he just didn't fit in with Inter's geriatrico drive. </p><p>"I've got a small amount of money on Pa$$$$ scoring first in a 2-2 draw, I've got a feeling," says Tom Kirkpatrick. "What do you reckon?" You could well be right.</p><p>"Whatever happens, as a nufc fan, I am just happy to have so much (postive) to play for at this stage of the season," says David Thompson. "It has been too long. Pardew is manager of the season, no doubt. And Cisse's goal? Not even fair to include it in any competition. Never seen anyone even attempt anything like it before. Good luck Toon. Good luck City." When I saw Cisse's goal, I just burst out laughing. It was surreal.</p><!-- Block 2 --><p><strong>Team news:</strong> Both sides are unchanged from their midweek wins. Look at that conservative Italian manager with his four attackers on the pitch. </p><p><strong>Newcastle:</strong> Krul; Perch, Williamson, Coloccini, Santon; Tiote, Gutierrez; Ben Arfa, Cabaye, Ba; Cisse. <strong>Subs:</strong> Elliot,<br />Gosling, Ryan Taylor, Marveaux, Shola Ameobi, Obertan, Ferguson. </p><p><strong>Manchester City:</strong> Hart; Zabaleta, Kompany, Lescott, Clichy; Barry, Yaya Toure; Nasri, Silva, Aguero; Tevez. <strong>Subs:</strong> Pantilimon, Richards, Milner, Dzeko, Johnson, Kolarov, De Jong. </p><p><strong>Referee:</strong> Howard Webb.</p><!-- Block 1 --><p><strong>Afternoon.</strong> It may not be long before the phrase "Typical City" will be uttered after they've won yet another trophy. However for the time being at least, it still means Manchester City are a club never too far away from shooting themselves in the foot in the most slapstick fashion. Typical City means needing a win against Liverpool to stay up on the final day of the 1995-96 season but wasting time in the corner in the dying stages because you've been erroneously told a draw will do. Typical City means the original Lewis Dunk, Jamie Pollock, juggling the ball past his own defenders and then lobbing his goalkeeper with a perfectly judged header. It means Garry Cook. The sorely missed Garry Cook. And it could mean beating Manchester United to go back to the top of the table, only to lose the very next game. Should City fail to win at Newcastle this afternoon, you can bet the first words to come out of their supporters' mouths, other than ones beginning with eff and cee, will be "Typical City".</p><p>After the victory in the Manchester derby on Monday, City could have done without a trip to St James' Park. Other than last week's defeat against the best side in the world, Wigan Athletic, Newcastle are on a red-hot streak, winning seven of their last eight games, and in Pa$$$$ Cisse they possess a striker apparently capable of defying the law of physics; after his mind-boggling absurdity against Chelsea, there are probably still some people whose jaws are yet to be extracted from the ground. He has 13 goals in his last 12 games, defying the theory that there is no value in the January transfer market, and will be ably supported by Demba Ba, Hatem Ben Arfa and Yohan Cabaye.</p><p>Three points for Newcastle will take them into the top four, above Arsenal and possibly Tottenham. Yet City have an even bigger prize on offer – a win more or less wraps up the title - and they may well have too much power and skill for Alan Pardew's side. They'll probably need all of it; Newcastle are unlikely to be as compliant as United were on Monday and City have not won a truly difficult away game since the 6-1 win in the derby in October. But the manner in which they have clawed back the eight-point deficit - unprecedented with six games to go in the Premier League era - would suggest they have the bit between their teeth and aren't about to throw away their advantage now. This is Manchester City though. Your guess is as good as mine.</p><p><strong>Kick-off is at:</strong> 1.30pm.</p><div class="related" style="float: left; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><ul><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/premier-league-2011-12">Premier League 2011-12</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/newcastleunited">Newcastle United</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/manchestercity">Manchester City</a></li><li><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/premierleague">Premier League</a></li></ul></div><div class="author"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/jacob-steinberg">Jacob Steinberg</a></div><br/><div class="terms"><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk">guardian.co.uk</a> &copy; 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. 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