It’s Matchday 33 of the Premier League. Aston Villa faces Newcastle at Villa Park on Saturday, 19 April.
What We Know
- First matchup of the season: Newcastle - Aston Villa 0-0
- Newcastle lead their head-to-head, 76-39-59.
- Newcastle have won five of their last six matches against Aston Villa.
- A single league loss for Villa at home this season, but plenty of draws (8-7-1).
- Newcastle have an 8-3-5 away league record.
Aston Villa
The midweek clash with PSG saw Villa give their all for a comeback, and that might have a lasting impact, both mentally and physically. It is, however, imperative to leave that behind and focus on the upcoming game against Newcastle, which is shaping up to be a crucial match.
The aim is to secure another season of Champions League football, and to reach that target, this is a game the team needs to get points from. Considering Villa are fighting for a top-5 spot, this is a must-win game to bolster their chances of finishing in one of those spots.
Villa are coming off a relatively comfortable away league win against relegated Southampton. They conserved energy and rotated in the first half before ramping up the intensity in the final 30 minutes, especially after Watkins came in.
The England international scored in the 73rd minute, Malen doubled Villa’s lead 6 minutes later, and McGinn added the cherry on top (90+4’).
We could also see two missed penalties for Asensio, who has, regardless, been a significant boost this season. Alongside Rashford, he has provided some much-needed squad depth, which is what Villa needed with so many matches on all fronts this season.
Newcastle
Newcastle will fight until the very end to stay in the top 5 and qualify for next season’s Champions League competition. They are in good form recently, both mentally and physically, and are currently sitting in third place in the Premier League table.
The midfield trio of Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes, and Joelinton is crucial in this regard. Non-stop pressing by all three, they are shutting off space, winning duels up high, and turning opposing midfielders’ lives to hell.
Apart from making the defenders’ work easier, the three also contribute offensively by supplying the attackers.
In the front, Isak has been in great shape this season, Jacob Murphy as well, and Harvey Barnes came forward to fill Anthony Gordon’s shoes brilliantly. Gordon came back in the game against Man United, but Barnes was the standout, fighting for a place among the starting 11.
The game against Aston Villa is something akin to a final. Villa are aware that this might be their last chance for a breakthrough, and Newcastle know that this can knock their opponents out of contention for good, sealing their return to the Champions League.
Newcastle has a few challenging fixtures ahead, apart from the match against almost-relegated Ipswich.
Betting Tip: Aston Villa - Newcastle
This is a crucial game for both teams, but one team has a clear advantage here. Aston Villa are fresh off an exhausting battle with French giants PSG, while Newcastle are in excellent form and relatively fresh. The latter are the better pick, with some cover.
- Betting Tip: 2 DNB
- Odds: 2.00 (at the time of writing)
- Stake: 3
