Aston Villa vs Newcastle United

Villa Park forms the backdrop for a potentially season-defining Premier League clash between top-five hopefuls Aston Villa and Newcastle United. 

Aston Villa’s maiden Champions League appearance ended in the quarter-finals despite their valiant attempt to overcome Paris Saint-Germain, going down 5-4 on aggregate in spite of a 3-2 second-leg victory on home turf. Back to their Premier League duties, Villa must shrug off the disappointment as they trail fifth-placed Manchester City by a single point pre-round. There’s plenty of reason for optimism, with the Lions winning nine of their last ten outings in all competitions (L1). Furthermore, Unai Emery’s men head into proceedings on the back of 15 consecutive home league matches without losing (W8, D7), even though they only kept two clean sheets in that sequence. Yet, they’ve been prolific in front of goal, scoring twice or more in eight of their last nine home league games.

Meanwhile, Newcastle United maintained their rip-roaring form with a scintillating 5-0 romping of Crystal Palace in midweek Premier League action, building on a 4-1 thrashing of Manchester United last weekend. Though both wins came at home, Eddie Howe’s charges now boast a five-game winning streak in the Premier League and a healthy-looking five-point lead over sixth-placed Chelsea. However, there’s no room for complacency, considering the Magpies have suffered defeat on four of their last five top-flight visits to Villa Park (W1). They must buck that trend to become the first visiting EPL side since Arsenal in August to beat Aston Villa on this ground. Confidence stems from Newcastle’s third-best away point tally in the Premier League this season (27).