Manchester City Have Chance to Tinker with Lineup Ahead of Barcelona Clash

Manchester City take on Newcastle United on Saturday in what some might consider a warm up for Tuesday's Champions League showdown with Barcelona. While one eye will certainly be kept on the Catalans' visit, the clash with John Carver's men is just as important.

At the same time, Manuel Pellegrini could certainly use this match as a chance to test new things before Barcelona come calling.

The Chilean, though, won't have any talk like that:

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PELLEGRINI ON ROTATION: “We are just focusing on the game against @NUFC. When we finish this we will think about @FCBarcelona." #cityvnufc

— Manchester City FC (@MCFC) February 20, 2015"

Those sentiments aside, City have pretty well dominated Newcastle lately—aside from the Magpies' 2-0 win in the League Cup last October—and as such will be confident of getting the result. While Pellegrini won't take the foot off the gas, there's room to experiment when you expect things to go well.

Per WhoScored.com, City have won the last four league meetings between these two sides, by a combined score of 12-0. This includes City's 2-0 win in the season opener at St. James' Park.

Both teams enter on shaky form, with City winning just one of their last five league matches—the recent 4-1 win over Stoke—and the Magpies have won just one in six. But City, who sit a full seven points behind Chelsea in the title race, will be confident of getting the result at the Etihad.

Luckily for Pellegrini, his only injured player is James Milner, who is dealing with some sort of knee ailment:

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PELLEGRINI ON INJURIES: “The only player who has a problem is Milner – he has a problem in his knee and he will not be available."

— Manchester City FC (@MCFC) February 20, 2015"

According to the boss, though, this does not seem to be a long-term issue:

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PELLEGRINI ON MILNER: “It’s not very, very serious but he couldn’t work all week. All of the other players are fit." #cityvnufc

— Manchester City FC (@MCFC) February 20, 2015"

From that, it could be reasoned that the 29-year-old could be fit to face Luis Enrique's side on Tuesday. In the meantime, though, look for Jesus Navas to get a start on the right side of midfield.

This could very well be an audition for the Spaniard to crack the starting XI in the midweek clash; with so many midfield options to choose from, Navas needs to stand out if he wants to ensure further consideration for selection.

City fans know well what the former Sevilla man is capable of. His blistering pace makes him a constant threat and he's got an eye for a good cross. However, Milner's versatility and two-way game help him better complement the creativity of David Silva, Samir Nasri and Sergio Aguero.

Speaking of Aguero, though, there's a new striker in town:

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PELLEGRINI ON BONY: “Bony is an important player - he’s on the squad list for tomorrow. We’ll see if he starts or if he’s on the bench."

— Manchester City FC (@MCFC) February 20, 2015"

Wilfried Bony is finally ready to make his debut for his new side after helping the Ivory Coast to AFCON glory—alongside new club team-mate Yaya Toure. Pellegrini spoke in Friday's presser of his confidence in the former Swansea man's ability to fit into his squad:

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He’s a player who has played in England, he knows he Premier League, he knows our team – I think it will be easy for him to settle in.

He can play with Aguero, with Dzeko, with Jovetic, with Silva – all of the players in our squad.

"

If ever there was a chance to see just how true this is, the clash with Newcastle is it.

While Bony replaced Jovetic in the Champions League squad and thus won't partner the Montenegrin on Tuesday, seeing them together in league clashes could happen as the title chase continues. However, it's whether the Ivorian can jell with Aguero that could determine the fate of City's season.

As B/R's Sam Tighe put it, this looks like it could be a mouthwatering partnership.

Jon Super/Associated Press

Both Bony and Aguero like to move around across the defensive line and drop deeper to open space. Aguero's pace and Bony's physical strength can certainly play well off each other. And most importantly, both players know how to find the back of the net.

It seems likely that they could see the field together at some point against Newcastle, but maybe not from the start.

At long last, Yaya Toure makes his much-anticipated return to City after his successful stay at AFCON. He's suspended for the first leg against Barcelona, but he will almost certainly feature on Saturday.

Pellegrini put it best when speaking of Toure's impact on the club's fate:

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It’s important to have Yaya back, he’s an important player for us – for him and for Bony to come back after winning the Africa Cup of Nations is better.

We are sure Yaya will be the same player as he was before he left.

I suppose they enjoyed their time there as they won the title – that’s the most important thing and that he returns without any problems.

We didn’t win a lot of games without him but there were were other problems too.

We had players coming back from injuries – when you put both together, maybe that explains it.

"

When he's not around, City do seem to struggle. Now that he's back, perhaps they can jump right back into top form.

How he can fare with Bony in the picture, on the other hand, will be an interesting thing to watch. They obviously know each other's game and can use that to their advantage, but it still all has to mesh with what Pellegrini wants out of his team.

There's a lot that Pellegrini will need to figure out between now and Tuesday. From how to slot his expensive new striker into his side to dealing with James Milner's injury and even finding the best central defensive pairing; much work is to be done.

Luckily, his side faces a Premier League opponent whose number they well and truly own, surely giving them an extra boost of confidence. If City can get a strong lead into the latter stages of the game, look out for some pre-Barcelona lineup and formation experiments in the final minutes.

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