Man City without FOUR key players for Newcastle United test

Newcastle United will face a Manchester City side without two of their top stars this weekend, when Pep Guardiola brings his side to Tyneside for the lunchtime showdown.

Both Rodri and Kevin De Bruyne will miss the game at St James' Park as City's injury problems build. Influential midfielder Rodri limped out of the 2-2 draw with title rivals Arsenal last Sunday, and it has been confirmed that he will miss a significant spell after injury ligaments in his knee.

De Bruyne has a thigh problem which is likely to keep him sidelined this weekend, although Guardiola is hoping that injury will not keep him out of action for too long. They are not the only City players nursing injuries, however, so here's the latest on Saturday's opponents.

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Rodri (knee)

City have confirmed the Spain midfielder will be out for a long period, although no timeframe has been set. A statement read: "Manchester City can confirm that Rodri has suffered a ligament injury to his right knee. The injury was sustained during the first half of this weekend's 2-2 draw with Arsenal in the Premier League.

"The midfielder travelled to Spain to seek specialist consultation this week, following initial tests in Manchester. Assessment remains ongoing to ascertain the full extent of the injury and expected prognosis. Everyone at the club wishes him a speedy recovery and mancity.com will bring you regular updates regarding his rehabilitation."

In his post-match press conference atfer the 2-1 win over Watford, Guardiola said: “Still we don’t have the definitive (diagnosis) but he will be out for a long time, a while. But there are some opinions that maybe it will be less than we expected.

“Unfortunately, he was injured, but right now I couldn’t tell you. We are waiting for the last phone calls from him and the doctors for what definitely he has and the type of surgery he has to get. He’s OK. He's strong, sad of course, and waiting for the final decision of what he has to do. We don’t want it, but we will (still) have a good season.”

Kevin De Bruyne (thigh)

Guardiol has indicated De Bruyne may be not be available this weekend, but he could be back in action soon. “I don’t think it will be long. I cannot say how long for.," the City boss said. "I don’t know for Newcastle, but it won’t be long. [He has] discomfort in his legs.”

Oscar Bobb (broken leg)

The youngster will miss a large chunk of the season after breaking his leg in training. Bobb scored the winner in the same fixture last season, but will be out until thew new year.

“It was in the training session." said Guardiola said in August. "Unfortunately, he had a big impact and got injured. He is having surgery this afternoon. Hopefully, it will go well, and he will be back in 3-4 months.”

Nathan Ake (hamstring)

The Dutch defender injured his hamstring on duty for the Netherlands and will not play until next month, probably after the next international break. "He's Injured, I think until the next international break," Guardiola explained. "We are unlucky with Nathan - every time he goes [to play for Netherlands], he comes back injured.”