John Carver expecting tough Aston Villa match

Newcastle United boss John Carver has admitted that he is expecting a tough task against a reinvigorated Aston Villa in their Premier League clash.

New Villa boss Tim Sherwood guided his team to a 2-1 victory in their FA Cup match against Leicester City in his first game in charge, but saw them slump to a 2-1 loss in the dying seconds against Stoke City last week.

However, Carver feels that a tough challenge lies ahead of his team to earn the three points, especially after their 5-0 drubbing at the hands of Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.

He told the club's official website: "A win against Villa is important as we've got some big games coming up, there's a bit of pressure but we've got to handle that.

"I've seen the difference in the Villa team since Tim has taken over. He's going from back to front a little bit quicker through [Christian] Benteke now. Every game is difficult and Aston Villa will be no different. I know they've been on a long run of poor form but they've got Tim's input now, and he will have different ideas.

"They've got a new lease of life and look to have a lot of energy so it's not going to be an easy game but then again, no game in the Premier League is easy."

Newcastle are 11th in the Premier League ahead of their clash against Sherwood's men.