Newcastle United
- Newcastle have won two and lost one of their last three at home.
- Newcastle United sit eighth in the Premier League table with 33 points from 22 games, while Aston Villa are third with 43 points from the same number of matches, so this Sunday’s matchup between the pair certainly has European qualification implications.
- Eddie Howe’s high-tempo, man-oriented pressing style has been the Magpies’ trademark since his appointment in 2021, but the influence of Bruno Guimaraes has given Newcastle a new dimension in recent games, particularly in the final third.
- Bruno Guimaraes has scored three of Newcastle’s goals in their last five games.
Aston Villa
- Aston Villa have won one, drawn one and lost one of their last three on the road.
- Unai Emery has been the antithesis to Howe since taking over at Villa in 2022, preferring to set his team up in a more pragmatic way and avoid overcommitting numbers forward.
- The Villans’ style is based on compact, controlled pressing triggers, patient build-up and counterattacks where they can exploit space against opponents that overcommit.
- Aston Villa have won five, drawn three and lost three of their 11 away games in the Premier League and will not be easy to beat in this tactical clash of styles.
Head-to-Head
In their last matchup, five months ago, Villa came away with a 0-0 draw at Villa Park .
Key Players
- Bruno Guimaraes - Guimaraes is now United’s top scorer with eight Premier League goals in 21 games and has been in fine form with three in his last five appearances.
- Ollie Watkins - Ollie Watkins has scored four of Villa’s last six goals in their past five matches.
Betting Insights
- Newcastle are favorites for this match at 1.9, but Emery’s Villa are not worth backing at 3.65, so we’re going for the Over 2.5 goals market at 1.62.
- We’re siding with the draw in the draw no bet market.
Prediction
We’re expecting a tight, intense Premier League clash on Tyneside , before these two face off again in the FA Cup.
