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Pep Guardiola provides key Manchester City fitness update ahead of Newcastle clash

Pep Guardiola provides key Manchester City fitness update ahead of Newcastle clash

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola spoke to the press ahead of his side's trip to face Newcastle at St. James' Park this weekend.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed Kalvin Phillips and Cole Palmer are in line to be involved in Sunday's meeting with Newcastle at St. James' Park.

The Premier League champions maintained a perfect start to their title defence with a 4-0 thrashing of Bournemouth at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

Ilkay Gundogan, Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden were amongst the goals as Pep Guardiola's men followed up their opening day triumph over West Ham with a dominant display against the Cherries.

Ilkay Gundogan (Twitter)
Ilkay Gundogan (Twitter)

After netting a fine brace on his Premier League debut at the London Stadium, Erling Haaland impressed with his hold-up play against a deep-lying Bournemouth defence as he set up Ilkay Gundogan for the opener.

Less than a week after setting up Haaland against West Ham, Kevin De Bruyne was on target to cleverly side foot the ball into the far corner to give Manchester City a two-goal lead just past the half-hour mark.

The hosts were cruising as they soon made it three through Phil Foden, who picked up another delightful ball from De Bruyne and put the game to bed before the interval.

Phil Foden and Erling Haaland (Twitter)
Phil Foden and Erling Haaland (Twitter)

Julian Alvarez replaced Erling Haaland in the final 15 minutes and received a warm welcome to the Etihad Stadium by the roaring home crowd.

The Argentine has caught the eye since pre-season, starring in City's win over Club America in the United States before scoring against Liverpool in the Community Shield.

Guardiola handed academy star Rico Lewis his Premier League debut against Bournemouth, who saw Jefferson Lerma turn the ball into his own net in the 79th minute after some skillful play by Joao Cancelo on the left side of the area.

Kalvin Phillips Manchester City Training (Image: Manchester City/ManCity.com)
Kalvin Phillips Manchester City Training (Image: Manchester City/ManCity.com)

Kalvin Phillips was deemed unfit for City's second league game of the campaign but has returned to training ahead of City's trip to Newcastle on Sunday alongside Cole Palmer.

With title rivals Liverpool drawing each of their opening fixtures, Guardiola will be keen on making it three wins in three when City face the Magpies at St. James' Park.

The Blues will fly straight to Spain after the game on Sunday to prepare for their upcoming friendly against Barcelona next week - before returning to England for their home tie with Crystal Palace in the days that follow.

Pep Guardiola looks on in Manchester City's 0-2 win against West Ham.
Pep Guardiola looks on in Manchester City's 0-2 win against West Ham.

Speaking to the press ahead of City's clash with Eddie Howe's men, Pep Guardiola confirmed Phillips and Palmer are fit and ready to be involved against Newcastle but admitted some players are suffering from 'niggles'.

It remains to be seen if Bernardo Silva will return to the lineup on Sunday despite looking set to stay at Manchester City this season.

The Portugal international has been heavily linked with a move to Barcelona but it seems too little, too late for the Catalan club to complete a deal for the 28-year-old.

Guardiola has benched Silva in City's first two league games amid speculation over the playmaker's future and his renewed desire to move closer to Portugal.

Featured Image Credit: Alamy

Topics: Manchester City, Premier League, Newcastle United, Pep Guardiola, Eddie Howe, Kalvin Phillips, Cole Palmer, Bernardo Silva