Rafa Benitez warns Newcastle not to underestimate Aston Villa

Newcastle boss Rafa Benitez had an important message for his players as he warned them there was no room for complacency ahead of their match against Aston Villa on Saturday.

The Magpies will be hoping to make the most out of their second chance after they hauled themselves out of the relegation zone for the first time since February with a 1-0 win over Crystal Palace last week.

Benitez said: "We have to approach the game with the right mentality and cannot go there and think it will be an easy game.

Townsend's thoughts

Andros Townsend would rather have points on the board than games in hand

"They know - we have been talking about that. We will encourage them to approach the game like a final."

Newcastle will travel to Villa Park, the site where they were last relegated in 2009, on the back of a four game unbeaten run.

And it is clear that Benitez is not underestimating Villa when it comes to the challenge ahead.

He said: "We have seen the last games of Aston Villa and they did well against Watford, they did really well.

"We play against Spurs in the last game, but the next one is the most important one because win this and we approach it with the fans behind us and it will be easier to keep everyone on their toes and motivated.

"For this game we need to be sure that we are focused, and we can't lose our concentration."

With both Daryl Janmaat and Vurnon Anita declared fit for Saturday's match, Benitez will have a choice when it comes to deciding who will play right-back.

However, having not won on the road since December, including nine losses, the pressure will be on the north east side as they continue their fight for Premier League survival.