Aston Villa vs Newcastle: Match preview, predicted line-ups, team news, and prediction
Aston Villa welcome Newcastle United to Villa Park on Saturday evening in the FA Cup fourth round.
Villa won 2-1 at Tottenham Hotspur in the third round, while Newcastle beat Bournemouth 7-6 on penalties after an enthralling 3-3 draw in normal time.
Match preview
Villa dug deep to secure a 1-0 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday, ending their two-game losing streak at home in the Premier League.
The Villans were unimpressive, failing to create any big chances and relying on Jack Hinshelwood’s 86th-minute own goal to secure the victory.
Villa were held to a goalless draw by Newcastle at Villa Park in their last league meeting, but won 2-0 at St.James’ Park last month.
Manager Unai Emery boasts a good record against the Magpies, winning six, drawing one and losing three in 10 meetings.
Newcastle head into the fixture off the back of an impressive 2-1 win at Tottenham, registering their third away league victory this season.
The victory eases the pressure on manager Eddie Howe, but a defeat would put his position back under scrutiny.
Howe has struggled against Emery, winning three, losing six, and drawing one of his 10 previous encounters with the Spaniard.
Team news
Matty Cash, John McGinn, Boubacar Kamara, Youri Tielemans, and Andres Garcia are sidelined for Villa.
Emil Krafth, Lewis Miley, Valentino Livramento, Fabian Schar, Antony Gordon, and Joelinton are unavailable for Newcastle.
Predicted line-ups
Aston Villa (4-2-3-1): Marco Bizot, Lamare Bogarde, Ezri Konsa, Pau Torres, Lucas Digne, Douglas Luiz, Amadou Onana, Leon Bailey, Morgan Rogers, Emi Buendia, Tammy Abraham
Newcastle (4-3-3): Aaron Ramsdale, Lewis Hall, Sven Botman, Malick Thiaw, Kieran Trippier, Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes, Joe Willock, Jacob Murphy, Nick Woltemade, Harvey Barnes.
Prediction
We predict a 3-2 victory for Villa.
Stats from transfermarkt.com