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Two of the Premier League’s form teams will square off with their sights set on Europe when Aston Villa meet Newcastle on Saturday evening.
Third face seventh this weekend as the Geordies look to tighten their grip on third place and potentially even pile the pressure on Arsenal in a scrap for second place.
Villa may already occupy a Europa Conference League spot, but they’ll be keen to build on their recent winning run, as they sit just one point behind Man City in the fifth and final Champions League spot.
The Villans earned plenty of plaudits for their relentless throttling of PSG on Tuesday, slaying the most overrated team left in the Champions League but falling just short of qualification with a 3-2 win on the night.
Unai Emery’s side may have looked like a Jenga tower in a breeze for much of the two legs, but they wrestled control and eventually showed their class.
The buzz of a glamour tie with the Parisians did little to distract Villa as they’ve reeled off four consecutive wins in the league.
Likewise, the Toon Army have battered teams since beating Liverpool to lift the Carabao Cup, scoring 12 goals in three matches against Leicester, Man Utd and Crystal Palace.
Aston Villa vs Newcastle prediction:
It remains to be seen whether Villa will come flying out of the traps, full of confidence and defiance, and turn in a good performance on Saturday.
It’s safe to say the visitors will be full of beans and fancy a go after putting 15 goals past their previous five victims.
This is a fixture with a rich history of goals, not least with one side scoring three or more in each of the last six meetings.
Both teams finding the net is a trend at Villa Park, where both teams have scored in 13 of 16 Premier League fixtures there since August.
The fact they’re also defending a 17-match unbeaten run on home soil makes it hard to bet against them, but that doesn’t mean United can’t find the net at least once.
Given that there have been at least two goals in at least one half in each of their previous six at Villa Park, we’ll push the boat out by backing the 10/3 on offer for over 1.5 goals in each half.
Aston Villa team news
Aston Villa are the only Premier League club without any injuries for this weekend’s matches, which is quite the achievement with a handful of games to go.
Leon Bailey made his return midweek and will likely see some minutes from the bench.
Emery’s players made it through Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final unscathed, though it remains to be seen what physical toll it took on them.
Ian Maatsen, Ross Barkley, Marco Asensio, Jacob Ramsey, and Ollie Watkins all featured from the bench midweek and provide options to rotate.
Watkins is likely to reclaim his starting role up top with Marcus Rashford pushed to the left.
Aston Villa expected line-up
Martinez – Konsa, Torres, Disasi, Maatsen – Kamara, Tielemans – Rogers, McGinn, Rashford – Watkins
Newcastle team news
The Magpies aren’t as fortunate as they’ll be without the services of Sven Botman, Jamaal Lascelles and Lewis Hall. Manager Eddie Howe is also out of action as he battles with pneumonia.
However, there are no fresh injury concerns after thrashing Palace 5-0.
Kieran Trippier, Fabian Schar, Dan Burn and Tino Livramento will retain their places in the defence.
Midweek goalscorers Jacob Murphy and Harvey Barnes have done enough to keep Anthony Gordon on the bench with goal involvements in each of Newcastle’s last three matches.
Alexander Isak will start after arriving at the goalmouth party a week late to score the fifth and final goal at St James’ Park.
Newcastle expected line-up
Pope – Trippier, Schar, Burn, Livramento – Guimaraes, Tonali, Joelinton – Murphy, Isak, Barnes
Aston Villa vs Newcastle: How to watch and listen
Aston Villa vs Newcastle will be shown live on Sky Sports UHD, Main Event and Premier League at 17:30 on Saturday, April 19. There will be full match commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live Sport.
Aston Villa vs Newcastle stats:
– Five of the last six meetings have been won by Newcastle, who have outscored Villa 16-5 during that run.
– At least one team scored three or more goals in each of the last six meetings across all competitions.
– Aston Villa have won each of their last four matches in the Premier League.
– The Villans are unbeaten in 18 home matches after beating PSG 3-2.
– Newcastle have netted 15 goals during their five-match winning streak to become the third-highest scorers in the league.
– Newcastle have won six of eight Premier League away matches for the first time this century.
