Newcastle vs Aston Villa: Preview, Predictions and Lineups

Newcastle are at home for the festivities as they face Aston Villa in what will be a fierce Boxing Day Premier League clash.

The Magpies remain a formidable force at St. James’ Park and head into Thursday’s game with the wind in their sails. Eddie Howe’s side have scored 16 times in their previous five games and a surge in December means they will sit eighth in the table come Christmas. Carabao Cup semi-final s Arsenal also calls in the new year.

Aston Villa followed in Newcastle’s footsteps by enjoying a return to the Champions League after finishing fourth last season. Unai Emery’s side have plenty of work to do if they are to repeat their 2023/24 performance, but a 2-1 win that was more Manchester City’Misery on Saturday means they are up to sixth in the table.

Surprise package Nottingham Forest are just three points clear of the Villans in fourth, but Newcastle will usurp their Boxing Day opponents with another win on Tyneside.

Here 90 minutes guide to this stunning Premier League duel.

Newcastle vs Aston Villa H2H record (last five matches)

Current form (all competitions)

Sven Botman is on the way back from an ACL tear after enjoying a run out for the U21s, but the centre-back is not expected to make a full return to the senior team before the new year.

Jamaal Lascelles is also recovering from a similar injury, but the Englishman is not that far along in his rehabilitation.

Joelinton and Nick Pope are doubts after missing Saturday’s win at Portman Road, while Callum Wilson and Emil Krafth remain on the sidelines with hamstring and collarbone injuries.

Howe should retain a front three that has been firing on all cylinders over the past month. Anthony Gordon was a constant on the right, Alexander Isak scored a hat-trick at the weekend, while Jacob Murphy suddenly found his goals after a slow start to the season.

Predicted line-up of Newcastle vs Aston Villa (4-4-1-1): Pope; Livramento, Schar, Burn, Hall; Guimaraes, Tonali, Willock; Murphy, Isaac, Gordon.

The visitors’ injury list is significantly shorter than Newcastle’s, with Jacob Murphy the only concern in this Boxing Day clash. The Villa midfielder is nursing a hamstring injury and is unlikely to return to Tyneside.

Emery could opt for a similar starting XI from Saturday’s 2-1 win over the champions. The Villa boss used Boubacar Kamara and Amadou Onana as steel supports to free Youri Tielemans with a trick that came in handy against the Cityzens.

Jhon Duran deserves to retain his place at the top after scoring amid an excellent all-round performance this weekend.

Predicted line-up of Aston Villa vs Newcastle (4-3-3): Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Kamara, Onana, Tielemans; McGinn, Duran, Rogers.

This could be a 3pm kick-off, but the game will not be subject to UK blackouts as Amazon Prime streams all the outings on Boxing Day.

Newcastle are always high-octane in big competitions at St. James’ Park, and they are facing a Villa team that has found its optimal flow for the weekend. Their performance against the champions was superb, but performing at that level in this environment is a different challenge altogether.

A purring Magpies attack will be supported against an aggressive Villa defensive line, but this contest will be won or lost in the middle of the park. These engine rooms have stellar balance and have been key to their teams’ recent successes.

All three results are on the table here, but we will favor the hosts who are in form on Tyneside.

Prediction: Newcastle 2-1 Aston Villa

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