Aston Villa will host Newcastle United at Villa Park on Saturday, marking the start of both sides' new season. Both clubs have had a very similar trajectory with similar outcomes in the last few seasons, and both are looking to build on recent successes.
Aston Villa finished sixth last term, just missing out on Champions League qualification due to goal difference following a defeat to Manchester United on the final day. Under Unai Emery, Villa produced a strong home record, losing only once at Villa Park in the league while remaining unbeaten in their last 18 home fixtures overall. The team ended last season on a high note with five consecutive home wins, something they'll expect to carry into this season.
The Villans’ squad has seen some continuity but also a few changes in the summer transfer window. Key players such as Morgan Rogers, Ollie Watkins and Youri Tielemans remain with the squad, and it doesn't seem like there'll be any notable departures at this stage. Incomings include forward Evann Guessand from Nice for £26m, while youngsters Yasin Ozcan and Zepiqueno Redmond arrive from Kasimpasa and Feyenoord.
Newcastle United finished the previous campaign just above Villa in fifth place, securing the final Champions League spot. They struggled somewhat with away form, losing seven of their 19 away league matches, including a heavy 4-1 defeat at Villa Park in April. Managed by Eddie Howe, the Magpies have incorporated winger Anthony Elanga and goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale into the fold, but the club's prospects this season have been rocked by a disastrous transfer window. Newcastle have missed out on top targets left, right and centre this summer, while the squad has also been unsettled by a transfer saga involving star player Alexander Isak, who is the subject of a pursuit by Liverpool.
Still, the Newcastle squad remains competitive, with players like Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali and Tino Livramento all being standouts in their respective positions. They will, though, need to be active in the final weeks of the window, as the added pressure of Champions League football puts significant strain on a club's squad, as they learned last time they competed in the competition.
These two sides tend to produce very high-scoring encounters, with the last five meetings seeing 21 goals scored in total. The last meeting saw Villa hammer Newcastle 4-1 in a fine showing, which means they've now won two of the last three head-to-head meetings between the two sides at Villa Park. Newcastle have only one win at Villa Park since 2013, and given how turbulent and disruptive this summer has been for them, we fancy Villa to come out on top here.
Aston Villa 3-2 Newcastle
