Two of last season’s more successful teams kick off their Premier League campaigns with a clash at Villa Park as Aston Villa host Newcastle United in Saturday’s early kick off.
Unai Emery’s team finished sixth last season, level on points with Newcastle, but missed out on a spot in the Champions League due to the Magpies superior goal difference.
This summer Villa have been through a bit of a reset despite only making two new signings. Yasin Ozcan was signed and sent out on loan but Evann Guessand offers more depth as a centre forward after the club lost the services of Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio following the end of their loan deals. Jacob Ramsey is also on the brink of a move to Newcastle though won’t face Villa today.
For Newcastle, they’ve had a transfer window to forget having missed out on key targets to Premier League rivals and being engulfed in the ongoing Alexander Isak saga. Eddie Howe has managed to bring in Anthony Elanga, Aaron Ramsdale and Malick Thiaw and a positive result against Villa will go some way to quieting the noise happening off the pitch.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Premier League fixture:
When is Aston Villa vs Newcastle?
Aston Villa vs Newcastle is the early Premier League match and is due to kick off at 12.30pm BST on Saturday 16 August at Villa Park.
How can I watch it?
Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on TNT Sports 1 and TNT Sports Ultimate, with coverage on both channels beginning at 11am BST. A live stream will be available via Discovery+ for subscribers as well.
Team news
Aston Villa have lost some loanees in Marco Asensio and Marcus Rashford but have kept hold of some of their more favourably players in Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins.
Emiliano Martinez will miss the game due to suspension and Rogers is struggling with an ankle injury but may be fit to play. Ross Barkley and Andres Garcia are injured however and Jacob Ramsey looks set to join today’s opponents Newcastle. Evann Guessand could make his debut.
Eddie Howe has confirmed that Alexander Isak will not feature due to the ongoing transfer speculation surrounding the striker. Joe Willock has an achilles injury which will keep him out but Anthony Gordon might be ready if he can prove he’s up to match fitness.
Confirmed line-ups
Aston Villa XI: Bizot; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Digne; Kamara, Tielemans; Onana, McGinn, Rogers; Watkins
Newcastle XI: Pope; Trippier, Schar, Burn, Livramento; Guimaraes, Tonali, Joelinton; Elanga, Gordon, Barnes
Odds
Aston Villa win 13/10
Draw 11/4
Newcastle win 11/5
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Prediction
A tough one to call so early in the season but Newcastle lack a threat at the top of the pitch without Alexander Isak which could hand the advantage to Aston Villa. Ollie Watkins will want to impress in front of the home fans and Morgan Rogers could give them an edge at home. However, Newcastle have an experienced defence which could get them through the match.
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