Newcastle United
Aston Villa FC
Aston Villa FC
Newcastle and Aston Villa are two out of sorts teams searching for a spark
Aston Villa to win 1-0
Newcastle’s awful form over the past few months has taken them perilously close to the relegation zone, with just a point now separating the Magpies, Brighton and 18th placed Fulham.
It’s going to be a nervous run-in if Newcastle continue to fail to pick up points as they have done recently, with just two wins coming from their last 16 league matches.
Injuries have certainly taken their toll and, as they were last weekend, will be without their best three strikers Wilson, Saint-Maximin and Almiron. They face a huge uphill battle here.
Aston Villa’s form is better than their opponents for sure, though it has fallen below the standards they set themselves earlier in the season.
They too have lost their best player to injury, Jack Grealish, and it’s fair to say that their form has been mixed in the five matches since. Indeed, just one win has come from that period.
Both sides are in need of a spark here.
Form Guide (all comps): WLLDD
Reasons to be cheerful:
Seeking three successive unbeaten games at home
Unbeaten in the last 11 home meetings with Villa
Reasons to be fearful:
Have lost eight league games in 2021, second only to Southampton
Only kept one clean sheet at home this season
The form of teams around them, in particular Fulham, is making life tough for Newcastle right now. Despite their poor form, the Magpies have always had a buffer between them and relegation, until now.
With teams now so tight at the bottom, one slip up could see Newcastle plunge into the bottom three, and with their results the way that they are, it would be difficult to see them recovering if that should happen.
They rely heavily on their injured trio of Wilson, Saint-Maximin and Almiron, with 21 of their 27 league goals this season either scored or assisted by one of them.
The Magpies will certainly find this one difficult – they claimed a goalless draw against West Brom in their last fixture, but even without Grealish, Villa are a different class.
Star Man – Jeff Hendrick
He is Newcastle’s only fit player to have scored on more than one occasion this season.
Form Guide (all comps): DLWLD
Reasons to be cheerful:
Won the reverse fixture 2-0
A win would guarantee them their highest points total since 2011
Reasons to be fearful:
Haven’t scored more than a single goal in last eight games
Poor record at St James’ Park
Aston Villa are in danger of allowing their season to drift as we enter the final couple of months of the campaign.
They have occupied the top six spots on numerous occasions this season, but their inconsistent form has let them down just as it seemed they were building up a head of steam.
Injuries have certainly played their part, though not to the same extent as the opposition this weekend. Grealish has been a huge miss, with just one victory coming from his absence recently, but defeats coming against the likes of Sheffield United and West Ham have hampered their progress.
That being said, they have the best clean sheet rate away from home in the league this season, and they will feel confident that they have too much quality for Newcastle.
Star Man – Ollie Watkins
Villa’s top scorer grabbed a goal in the win over Newcastle earlier this season
This will be a close game with neither in great form
One goal to separate the sides
Newcastle will sit back not to be beaten
Despite Newcastle’s dangerous position, it’s likely that they will not go for the win, rather they will sit back in the hope of avoiding defeat as they did against West Brom last weekend.
It earned them a point there, but Villa are a different proposition altogether.
This is unlikely to be a classic, with both teams struggling for form and missing their best players, but Villa are the side with better quality, and they are the favourites to grab three points.
Aston Villa to win 1-0
