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Aston Villa welcome Newcastle United to Villa Park for what promises to be a tasty encounter on the opening weekend of the Premier League season.
It has been a quiet summer for the Villans in the transfer market, with Nice striker Evann Guessand one of just four permanent signings.
The club have largely avoided big departures, with Jacob Ramsey breaking that trend with an expected move to Saturday’s opposition.
Unai Emery does not want to make too many changes, and you really can’t blame him after the season Villa just had.
Reaching the FA Cup semi-final and finishing in the top six would have been enough to mark a successful campaign, but the club went further…a lot further.
After winning five of their eight matches in the league phase of the Champions League, Emery’s men powered all the way to the quarter-finals, where they gave eventual winners PSG a serious run for their money.
Matching the heights of last season will undoubtedly come with difficulty…especially after a quiet summer transfer window.
However, with few high-profile departures and a positive atmosphere around Villa Park, it’s fair to say that Emery’s men will be looking to cause more damage.
Newcastle also made history last season, as the club ended their 56-year trophy drought and finished fifth to secure Champions League football.
Eddie Howe’s men were able to beat Liverpool at Wembley to win the EFL Cup, though all that positivity around the club has since dispersed.
A lacklustre transfer window and the ongoing drama surrounding star striker Alexander Isak have left the Magpies feeling somewhat blue ahead of the new season.
Nevertheless, with Champions League football to look forward to, Newcastle fans will be hoping for more success as the new campaign gets underway.
Don’t forget, you can get more stats and follow the game minute-by-minute with our new Live Scores centre.
Aston Villa team news
Villa head into the new season with their spine very much intact. The likes of Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins are all still at Emery’s disposal and will bring a lot of quality to the table.
Emiliano Martinez will miss the season opener as he serves his suspension for a reckless red card at Old Trafford. Ross Barkley and Andres Garcia, meanwhile, remain on the injury list.
New signing Evann Guessand could feature following his £26m move from Nice last week.
Aston Villa predicted line-up
Newcastle team news
Newcastle have struggled to get signings over the line this summer, but the club will be pleased to have landed Ramsey just before the opening weekend of the season.
The Villa man joins fellow additions Aaron Ramsdale, Anthony Elanga and Malick Thiaw to the squad, while the question marks over the future of Alexander Isak remain.
Joe Willock is ruled out for Saturday’s fixture due to an Achilles injury, while Anthony Gordon faces a late fitness test.
Newcastle United predicted line-up
Aston Villa v Newcastle: How to watch and listen
Fans will be able to watch Aston Villa’s season opener against Newcastle live on TNT Sports. Radio coverage will be available on BBC Radio 5 Live.
Aston Villa v Newcastle stats
Newcastle have won three of their last four games against Aston Villa.
There has been a total of 25 goals across the last six meetings.
Newcastle have lost five of their last six Premier League visits to Villa Park.
Aston Villa beat the Magpies 4-1 in April, but they haven’t won consecutive games against them since the 2004/05 season.
Newcastle have won their opening league match in each of their last three seasons.
Unai Emery (Aston Villa) quotes
On Aston Villa’s mentality
“I am telling the players, we have to enjoy the process, enjoy playing. It is not only about the result at the end. It is about how we are performing and how we are struggling sometimes. That is good as well because those experiences can help us in the future.”
Eddie Howe (Newcastle) quotes
On transfer market difficulties
“We’re controlled by PSR. That’s still limiting what we can do and that’s the reality. We’re not the highest payers in the league. We’re far from it and that is sometimes reflected in the choices players make.”
Aston Villa v Newcastle referee stats
Craig Pawson will be the main in the middle at Villa Park, marking his first game of the new season.
Pawson took charge of 22 Premier League games last season, dishing out 95 yellow cards and only three red ones.
His last visit to Villa Park was in February when the Villans held Liverpool to a 2-2 draw in a thrilling game.
His last encounter featuring Newcastle was in May, when the Magpies were held away at Brighton.
Aston Villa v Newcastle tips
Recent meetings between Aston Villa and Newcastle have provided plenty of goals and drama.
Last season, Newcastle romped to a 3-0 victory at St James’ Park before falling to a 4-1 defeat away at Villa Park.
Overall, this fixture has provided 25 goals across the last six meetings.
Considering both these clubs have performed strongly in recent seasons, we are expecting another high-quality game.
Villa are hard to beat on home soil, and we are siding with the hosts to kick off the season with a victory.
In terms of individual players, we are backing Ollie Watkins to kick off his campaign on a high.
The England international scored 16 Premier League goals last season, which is an impressive total for a player that complained about his time on the field.
