Newcastle United meet Aston Villa in a mid-table Premier League clash on Tyneside.
Depending on results elsewhere, victory could lift Newcastle as high as fifth in the table.
Villa meanwhile can leapfrog Matthias Jaissle’s Magpies into 11th with a win.
Team News
Bazoumana Toure is set to be available for Newcastle after recovering from a knock suffered late in their 4-1 defeat at Coventry on Monday evening.
Ewen Jaouen (hamstring), Tino Livramento (knock), Jacob Ramsey (thigh) and Anthony Elanga (hamstring) remain absent.
Villa could be without Ross Barkley after he suffered a knock during their 6-0 Champions League win over Fenerbahce.
Modu Cisse (groin/hip), George Hemmings (knee) and Brian Madjo (ankle) face late fitness checks.
Matteo Ruggeri (hamstring), Ian Maatsen (ankle) and Amadou Onana (ACL) remain sidelined.
When is Kick-Off?
Newcastle host Villa at St James’ Park on Saturday 17 October at 5:30pm BST, live on Sky Sports Main Event and Premier League in the UK.
Stat Attack
- Newcastle have lost two of their last six Premier League meetings against Villa (W3, D1, L2).
- Villa have won just one of their last 18 league visits to Newcastle (W1, D6, L11).
- Newcastle are seeking to avoid suffering consecutive home losses against Villa for the first time since a three-match run between March 1956 to March 1958.
- Newcastle have won just one of their five league games moved for UK TV broadcast this season (W1, D2, L2), whilst their last two televised games have ended in 4-1 away losses at Leeds then Coventry.
- Nicolas Jackson has scored four goals in his last three appearances for Villa in all competitions.
Prediction
Being selected for live UK broadcast certainly seems to have been quite the hoodoo for Newcastle so far this season but they’re at least unbeaten at home still, yet they haven’t kept a clean sheet on their own turf and were absolutely wasteful when on top at Coventry.
Villa on the other hand are finding form now as evidenced by their impressive domestic fightback in a 2-2 draw against Brentford last weekend, before they ruthlessly turned Fenerbahce over in a performance which suggests that they’re finally clicking as a team once again.
Neither defence though looks the strongest but I really do think that Villa have the quality to get another win such is their goalscoring form and confidence now, but Newcastle should give them a proper battle until the final whistle.
Prediction: Newcastle 1-2 Aston Villa
Result: Newcastle 0-1 Aston Villa
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