The Lowdown: Newcastle United In Profile
Friday's top flight encounter will see Steve Bruce's side arrive on Filbert Way looking to confirm their Premier League status for another season, while third-placed Leicester are hoping to cement a top-four spot.
Newcastle lie 17th in the Premier League table having picked up 36 points so far in 2020/21, but have established a nine-point gap to Fulham in 18th with four games to play.
Ahead of the clash with the North East side, LCFC.com provides the full lowdown on City's next opponents, including their squad, manager and recent form...
The team
Summer signing Callum Wilson leads the way by some distance in Newcastle's scoring charts with the striker netting 10 league goals so far this campaign, ahead of Arsenal loanee Joe Willock, who has four to his name since arriving in February.
Paraguayan winger Miguel Almirón has also found the net four times and has played 30 times in the Premier League this season - featuring more than any other Newcastle player.
Former Bournemouth man Wilson - who joined the club along with Scotland winger Ryan Fraser in the summer of 2020 - also leads the way for assists, laying on five goals for his team-mates, while Allan Saint-Maximin has four assists.
Between the sticks, Karl Darlow has kept four clean sheets in 25 league appearances, while Slovakian shot-stopper Martin Dúbravka has kept one after recently returning to the side.
The manager
Following the departure of Rafael Benítez to Chinese Super League side Dalian Yifang F.C., former Birmingham City, Hull City and Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce took the reins in the summer of 2019.
Bruce, a life-long Newcastle supporter, was an authoritative centre-back in his playing days, making over 300 appearances for Manchester United, winning three league titles.
Following managerial spells with Sheffield United, Huddersfield Town, Wigan Athletic and Crystal Palace, Bruce began to build a reputation as a promotion specialist at Birmingham City.
First winning the Championship Play-Offs in 2002, Bruce managed the Blues in the Premier League, before also securing another promotion as runners-up in the second tier in 2007.
The Corbridge-born manager left Birmingham later that year to return to Wigan Athletic, where he secured an 11th-placed finish in the Premier League.
In June 2009, meanwhile, Bruce moved again to Sunderland, where he was able to finish 13th and 10th before, in 2011, he left the Stadium of Light with his side sat 16th.
The spell at Hull City which followed was successful, guiding the Tigers to promotion and then the FA Cup Final, sealing a spot in the UEFA Europa League qualifying stage, while also securing their top-flight status.
Despite relegation the following season, Bruce remained at Hull to guide them back to the top tier via the play-offs, before leaving the east Yorkshire side before the new season got underway.
Bruce was back in work at Aston Villa in the Championship in October 2016 and spent exactly two years at the helm, guiding the Villa Park club to a play-off final, but departed following a poor run of form.
He also briefly worked at another second tier club, Sheffield Wednesday, from January 2019 to July 2019, before leaving the Owls to join Newcastle.
Bruce enjoyed some memorable results in his first season in charge, notably beating Manchester United at St. James' Park in October 2019, eventually finishing in 13th place on 44 points.
Form guide
Newcastle were on an impressive run of form before being beaten 2-0 at home to Arsenal last time out, to move themselves further away from the relegation zone.
The Magpies secured a 1-1 draw against Liverpool at Anfield on 24 April thanks to Joe Willock's injury-time leveller, just three weeks after the midfielder had also found the net against Tottenham Hotspur to earn a 2-2 draw.
United won twice in-between those two draws, defeating Burnley 2-1 with goals from Jacob Murphy and Allan Saint-Maximin, while Joelinton, Willock and an own goal secured a 3-2 victory over West Ham United.
Previous encounters
Leicester came out on top when the two sides met in January, as James Maddison and Youri Tielemans got on the scoresheet in a 2-1 win at St. James' Park.
The Foxes also enjoyed two victories over Friday's opponents during the last campaign, and also triumphed 4-2 on penalties in a second round Carabao Cup tie at St. James' Park after a 1-1 draw in normal time.
Maddison scored the Foxes' goal that night and a month later, in September 2019, City produced an impressive performance to win 5-0 on Filbert Way. Ricardo Pereira, a brace from Jamie Vardy, Wilfred Ndidi and Paul Dummett's own goal helped Leicester to victory against the Magpies.
In the Premier League reverse fixture on New Year's Day 2020, City scored three without reply including a superb strike from Maddison, along with goals for Ayoze Pérez, against his former club, and Hamza Choudhury.
The trophy cabinet
While Newcastle United have endured a 66-year wait for a major honour in English football, their record before 1955 is an impressive list of titles and cup competition successes.
The Magpies are four-time champions of England, winning the top division in 1905, 1907, 1909 and 1927, while they have competed in 16 European campaigns.
Their most recent spell in Europe was a run to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Europa League in 2013, while they also enjoyed campaigns in the UEFA Champions League in 1997/98 and 2002/03.
Newcastle have lifted the FA Cup on six occasions (1910, 1924, 1932, 1951, 1952 and 1955), but are yet to win the League Cup.
Their trophy cabinet also includes the FA Charity Shield (1909), the Sheriff of London Charity Shield (1907), the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup (1969), the UEFA Intertoto Cup (2006), Texaco Cup (1974, 1975) and the Anglo-Italian Cup (1973).
The stadium
Newcastle United have called St. James' Park their home since its creation in 1892, but the 52,354-capacity venue is unrecognisable nowadays to its early form.
As a result of continuous development over that time, St. James' Park has a decidedly asymmetrical shape to it now, with two stands far larger than the others.
The stadium has become renowned for its ability to generate a vibrant and loud home atmosphere, especially during Kevin Keegan's first spell as manager between 1992 and 1997.
St. James' Park is currently the eighth-biggest in England, bettered only by Wembley Stadium, Old Trafford, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Emirates Stadium, Etihad Stadium, Anfield and London Stadium.
The club record attendance, on the other hand, was secured with a crowd of 68,386 people set in 1930 against Chelsea, when standing was still allowed on the terraces.
The fixtures
Following Friday's clash on Filbert Way, Newcastle will have just three Premier League fixtures remaining this season.
They host Manchester City on Friday 14 May (8pm kick-off), ahead of welcoming Sheffield United to St. James' Park on Wednesday 19 May (7:45pm kick-off).
The Magpies finish the campaign by visiting Fulham, travelling to Craven Cottage on Sunday 23 May (4pm kick-off).
All times BST.