‘Thank you’ - Pep Guardiola sarcastically hits out about Newcastle United game after cup win

Man City head into the game on the back of a UEFA Super Cup penalty shoot-out win over Sevilla following a 1-1 draw in normal time in Greece on Wednesday night. Meanwhile, Newcastle have had a full week to rest following their 5-1 win over Aston Villa at St James’ Park.

Reflecting on how City would celebrate their first ever Super Cup win, Guardiola couldn’t resist a sarcastic dig at the Premier League for their fixture scheduling.

“Not one drop of alcohol,” he said. “We recover as much as possible because, again, from Greece, thank you so much for the Premier League to let us play on Saturday and not on Sunday or Monday, thank you so much!”

City head into the game following a 3-0 opening day win at Burnley which saw key player Kevin De Bruyne go off injured with a hamstring issue that could require surgery.

While Newcastle head into the weekend sitting top of the Premier League table, they have never won at the Etihad Stadium in the league, losing each of their last 14 visits.

Despite Guardiola’s thinly-veiled complaint, the Man City boss often speaks highly of Newcastle when given the opportunity.

Towards the end of last season, the Spanish manager said about The Magpies’ Champions League prospects: “Newcastle is there already, they are one game away to qualify for the Champions League next season. I saw their game against Brighton, with the energy they played, it was wow! Newcastle deserve to be there.”