Man City predicted XI vs Newcastle: One change as in-form attacker dropped - gallery

Manchester City return to Premier League action on Saturday just three days after claiming a maiden European Super Cup success.

The Blues beat Sevilla 5-4 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in 90 minutes on Wednesday. Cole Palmer scored the only goal of the match for City, despite speculation continuing to surround his future, while £77.6 summer signing Josko Gvardiol was handed a first start since arriving from RB Leipzig.

City were without Kevin De Bruyne for the game, and will be for the foreseeable future as he has been ruled out for three to four months with a hamstring injury. It means City will have to find an adequate replacement in the attacking midfield role over the coming months.

Phil Foden played in that position on Wednesday, and was impressive in the second period. Julian Alvarez has also fulfilled that role in the early weeks of the season, and the Argentinian only played in the latter stages of the midweek match in Piraeus.

Bernardo Silva would have offered an alternative, but Pep Guardiola said on Friday that the midfielder has been ruled out of the Newcastle encounter, as has John Stones. With Ruben Dias also a doubt, it leaves City short on options at the heart of defence.

It may be just the second weekend of the Premier League season, but Guardiola would have ideally been thinking about keeping his squad fresh. This is City’s fourth match in all competitions, compared to Newcastle’s solitary fixture to date, and the Super Cup in Greece, played in sweltering conditions, was hardly ideal ahead of Saturday’s match against fellow Champions League opponents.

Guardiola is expected to name a strong side for the clash with the Magpies - here’s how we think City will line up on Saturday...