Top four hopefuls Newcastle United will welcome struggling Aston Villa to Saint James Park this Saturday in the 14th round game of the 2022/23 Premier League season.
Venue: St. James’ Park
Key Statistics
Newcastle have lost just one game this season (W5, D6, L1).
The hosts are unbeaten in their last seven league games (W4, D3).
Newcastle have conceded a league-low ten goals so far.
Only Liverpool have beaten Eddie Howe’s men on home soil this calendar year (W10, D4).
They have conceded 80% of their PL goals this season after half-time.
Aston Villa have scored just three goals in six away games this season.
They are one of seven Premier League sides yet to win away from home this season (D2, L4).
The visitors have not come out victorious on Tyneside since April 2005 (D6, L8).
Head to head
In 50 Premier League meetings between both sides, Newcastle have 23 wins while Aston Villa have 11 wins. 16 games ended all square.
Latest performances in all competitions
Newcastle: W-W-D-W-W
Aston Villa: W-L-L-D-D
Newcastle United
Newcastle will look to continue their meteoric rise in the Premier League table this season when they welcome Aston Villa to Tyneside.
Eddie Howe’s side have maintained their fine start to the season, with the loss to Liverpool in game week five, the only blemish on their otherwise impressive record so far.
The Magpies are unbeaten in their seven Premier League matches, picking up three draws and four wins in the process. They come into this game off the back of a 1-2 win over Tottenham Hotspur last weekend. A victory which saw them break into the top four for the first time this season.
Eddie Howe’s side were the better team against Antonio Conte’s side at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, causing all sorts of problems for the North London side, and secured the advantage heading into the halftime break with two well-taken goals from Callum Wilson and Miguel Almiron.
Antonio Conte’s side pushed hard to get back into the game and got one back through Harry Kane, but the Magpies remained resolute to secure all three points and move within two points of Spurs in third place.
Eddie Howe will be very pleased to see his players show the same desire and grit when they take on Aston Villa, and exert their presence in the top four, especially with Chelsea and Manchester United breaking down their backs in fifth and sixth place, respectively.
As the race for the top four becomes hotter and the World Cup at the corner, Newcastle will be keen to maintain their presence in the top four and make a sensational return to the International stage with yet another win judging by their impressive run this season, the Magpies are the favourites to secure all three when Aston Villa come into town.
Possible Newcastle starting line-up
Nick Pope; Kieran Trippier, Fabian Schar, Sven Botman, Dan Burn; Bruno Guimaraes, Joe Willock, Sean Longstaff; Miguel Almiron, Callum Wilson, Jacob Murphy.
Injured: Emil Krafth, Alexander Isak, Matt Ritchie, Karl Darlow
Doubtful: Allan Saint-Maximin
Suspended: None
Aston Villa
Aston Villa travel to Saint James park in search of their second win in a row for the first time this season, after brushing off Brentford last weekend.
The Villans have made a poor start to the season, with inconsistent results and performance, leaving them just three points shy of the relegation places.
The poor game run culminated in Steven Gerrard’s sacking, with their 3-0 loss to Fulham in round 12 acting as the nadir for the ex-Liverpool player who left the club with two wins, two draws and six losses this campaign.
Aston Villa responded to the sacking of the former Rangers gaffer with a 4-0 win over Brentford last weekend, racing into a 3-0 lead inside 15 minutes courtesy of goals from Leon Bailey and a brace from Danny Ings. Ollie Watkins added a fourth of the game after the break to hand Villa all three points.
Aston Villa have since appointed former Arsenal and four-time Europa League-winning coach Unai Emery to take the reins at Villa Park, but the Spanish coach will not be available to take charge of this game.
That means caretaker manager Aaron Danks will be in charge when they visit the North East. Having overseen a huge 4-0 in his first game in charge, he will be desperate to oversee a second successive victory for the first time this season.
Possible Aston Villa starting line-up
Emi Martinez; Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings, Ashley Young; John McGinn, Douglas Luiz; Leon Bailey, Emiliano Buendia, Ollie Watkins; Danny Ings.
Injured: Diego Carlos, Lucas Digne, Ludwig Augustinsson
Doubtful: Boubacar Kamara
Suspended: None
Odds
| Newcastle United to win | Draw | Aston Villa to win | |
| Odds | 1.85 | 3.75 | 4.20 |
| Probability (%) | 52 | 26 | 23 |
Prediction
Newcastle 2-0 Aston Villa
