Man City stars make 140-mile trip to Newcastle on private jet

High-flying Manchester City took a private plane to Newcastle for Tuesday night's must-win clash at St James' Park as they look to close the gap on Liverpool.

Pep Guardiola and his squad were pictured boarding the jet at Manchester Airport ahead of the 140-mile journey, which took under an hour to complete.

The Premier League champions opted to travel by air on the day of the game, with Guardiola using every minute possible to prepare his side for the crucial fixture.

City can move to within one point of leaders Liverpool with a victory over Rafa Benitez's side, with the Reds not in action until Wednesday night.

Raheem Sterling, Leroy Sane and David Silva were among the big names seen climbing on board, while Guardiola was pictured carrying a personalised bag.

Meanwhile, Bernardo Silva has insisted he and his team-mates are relishing their busy schedule as they prepare for their ninth game of the month.

'We like it because it means we are in all the competitions still and we have the squad to do this,' Silva told City's official website.

'We will go to Newcastle and try and get another win and keep the momentum going and challenge Liverpool.

'As for us starting 24 hours before Liverpool play, I honestly don't know if it's better to play first or second – we're just focusing on our job and trying to win the next game we play.

'If they lose or draw it's obviously better for us but we have to focus on our job and win games because if we don't, it doesn't mean anything.

'It will be tough at Newcastle. It's always a difficult place to go, but we are going there to play our game and try and bring three points home.

'They are a good team with a very good manager, and we played at St James' Park last season and only won narrowly.

'It's always complicated to play there and there is always a good atmosphere, but as I say, we are going there to win.'