Aston Villa vs Newcastle: Premier League preview, team news, stats, prediction, kick-off time
Villa missing Bertrand Traore; Joe Willock in Magpies squad; follow Aston Villa vs Newcastle in our dedicated live match blog; watch free match highlights on Sky Sports digital platforms and YouTube channel at 5.15pm
Friday 20 August 2021 20:33, UK
Team news, stats and prediction ahead of Aston Villa vs Newcastle in the Premier League on Saturday; kick-off 3pm.
Team news
Bertrand Traore is a fresh injury absentee for Aston Villa as they prepare to host Newcastle.
The midfielder suffered a hamstring issue during the defeat at Watford and will not be back until after next month's international break.
Defender Matt Targett is still building up his fitness and had to come off at Vicarage Road, while forward Ollie Watkins (knee) might be fit to face his former club Brentford on August 28.
Steve Bruce has confirmed midfielder Joe Willock will be included in his Newcastle squad after completing his permanent move to the club from Arsenal.
But midfielder Jonjo Shelvey has been ruled out after sustaining a fresh calf injury in the opening-day home defeat to West Ham.
Karl Darlow (coronavirus) and Martin Dubravka (foot) both remain sidelined, so Freddie Woodman will resume in goal.
How to follow
Follow Aston Villa vs Newcastle in our dedicated live match blog. Highlights will also be published on the Sky Sports digital platforms and the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel at 5.15pm.
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Prediction: Jones Knows writes...
Aston Villa at odds-on? No thanks.
There is an expectation that Dean Smith's side will instantly replace Jack Grealish's numbers with the big-money talent drafted in. However, football is a much more complex beast than it seems on paper, remember it is a team game, and it takes time for players to find their feet within a new system - as it will the manager to get the balance right in that forward area.
Villa really struggled last weekend at Watford, creating a non-penalty expected goal figure of just 0.29 against the newly promoted side and were flattered to score twice. I'm not confident in their chances of creating and finishing big opportunities in front of an expectant home crowd, especially with Ollie Watkins still missing.
I do hope Steve Bruce remains brave with his style of play. If he does, there could be reward in this one at his former stomping ground. Newcastle attacked intelligently and dangerously for large parts of their defeat against West Ham with Allan Saint-Maximin, Callum Wilson and Miguel Almiron all fitting into a highly energetic system perfectly. They can lead the Toon to an away win at a juicy 16/5 with Sky Bet.
SCORE PREDICTION: 1-2
BETTING ANGLE: Newcastle to win (16/5 with Sky Bet)
Opta stats
- Aston Villa are unbeaten in their last six Premier League matches against Newcastle United (W2 D4) since losing 1-0 back in February 2015. Villa haven't gone seven without defeat in the top flight against Newcastle since winning seven in a row between 1955 and 1958.
- Newcastle haven't scored a single goal in any of their last four Premier League visits to Aston Villa (D2 L2). Their run of minutes without a top-flight goal at Villa Park stands at 377, since a Yoan Gouffran goal in a 2-1 win in September 2013.
- Aston Villa won their final home game of the 2020-21 season - they last won consecutive home league games in January, with the second victory in that run coming against Newcastle.
- Newcastle United won their first away league match of last season, winning 2-0 at West Ham. The Magpies last won their first away league game in consecutive seasons in 1994-95 against Leicester City and 1995-96 against Bolton Wanderers.
- Aston Villa have scored exactly twice in each of their last four Premier League games, netting with both of their shots on target in their opening-day defeat at Watford. The Villans last scored more than once in five consecutive top-flight games in January 2008.
- Newcastle ended last season with consecutive away Premier League wins, beating Leicester City and Fulham. They haven't won three in a row on the road in the top-flight since December 2001, beating Ipswich Town, Arsenal and Leeds United under Sir Bobby Robson.
- Newcastle have won just two of their last 18 Premier League games in August (D6 L10), beating West Ham at home in 2017 and Tottenham away in 2019.
Last time out...
Essential Football Podcast: Will Lukaku get off to a flyer for Chelsea at Arsenal? Plus: Pogba's best role for Man Utd and the lowdown on Watford's new stars
After a blockbuster opening weekend of the Premier League we're gearing up to go again, with Arsenal vs Chelsea a headline fixture and set to feature the Blues' new striker Romelu Lukaku. Peter Smith is joined by Gerard Brand, Adam Smith, Nick Wright, and Ron Walker to look ahead to another big round of games...
PART 1: Will Romelu Lukaku fire Chelsea to a Premier League title challenge? And are Arsenal really in crisis? We assess both sides who go into a London derby in contrasting moods.
PART 2: Paul Pogba starred in Man Utd's win over Leeds with four assists - so how does Ole Gunnar Solskjaer keep getting performances like that out of him? And with Raphael Varane primed for his debut, do Man Utd now have all the pieces in place to become champions?
PART 3: Watford returned to the Premier League in style with a 3-2 win over Aston Villa on the opening weekend. We tell the story behind some of their new signings and examine their prospects this term. Plus, we hear how a drive down the M6 was transformative for Brighton defender Shane Duffy…
