Preview: Newcastle United vs Aston Villa - prediction, team news, lineups

Two bottom-half Premier League teams square off at St James’ Park on Saturday evening as Newcastle United play host to Aston Villa.

Unai Emery’s men claimed a 2-0 victory in their last visit to the North East in January, but the Magpies got their revenge a month later with a 3-1 away win in the FA Cup fourth round.

Match preview

Newcastle will welcome a return to St James’ Park this weekend, as they have suffered back-to-back away defeats by a humbling 4-1 scoreline to Leeds United and Coventry City, losing to the latter on Monday.

With two wins, two draws, and two defeats, it has been an inconsistent opening six games for mid-table Newcastle under new head coach Matthias Jaissle, largely because they are “not clean” in both boxes.

Defensive frailties are particularly a cause for concern, as the Magpies have conceded the joint-most goals (13) and the second-most shots (107) in the Premier League this term, while their only clean sheet was kept in a 2-0 win at Tottenham – the lowest scorers in the division – at the end of August.

Furthermore, only Spurs (13) have suffered more top-flight defeats in 2026 than Newcastle (12), who head into Saturday’s contest seeking to end a three-match winless league run against Aston Villa.

The Magpies can at least take comfort from their recent home record, boasting a five-game unbeaten run in front of their own fans (W3 D2), including a 2-1 victory over high-flying Hull City prior to the international break.

After a shaky start to the 2026-27 campaign, Aston Villa have found their groove, winning four and drawing one of their last six matches across all competitions (L1) while scoring at least three goals in four of those fixtures.

The Midlands club celebrated their biggest European win and biggest victory in any tournament under manager Unai Emery on Wednesday, as they put Fenerbahce to the sword in a 6-0 Champions League rout at Villa Park, with Nicolas Jackson and Ross Barkley both netting braces.

Villa’s continental joy returned them to winning ways after they were held to a 2-2 Premier League draw by Brentford a few days earlier, leaving the Lions down in 16th place in the table with just five points from their opening six matches (W1 D2 L3), five points behind the top four where they finished last season.

Aside from their thumping win over Fenerbahce, Villa have struggled to grind out positive results on home soil (D1 L2) and have had more success on their travels, winning three and drawing one of their last four away games since the opening weekend when they lost 4-0 at Brighton.

Not only is Emery bidding to win his 100th Premier League game as a manager this weekend, but Aston Villa will record consecutive top-flight victories at St James’ Park for the first time if they pick up all three points against Newcastle. However, the Lions have only won three of their last 10 meetings with the Magpies in all competitions (D1 L6).

Newcastle United Premier League form:

Newcastle United form (all competitions):

Aston Villa Premier League form:

Aston Villa form (all competitions):

Team News

Newcastle are still having to cope without injured quartet Anthony Elanga, Jacob Ramsey, Ewen Jaouen (all thigh) and Tino Livramento (unspecified), while Jaissle is hopeful that Bazoumana Traore will recover from a knock to his knee suffered against Coventry.

Joelinton is ready to start his first game of the season after recovering from injury, and could link up with Nico Gonzalez and Joe Willock in a three-man midfield should Jaissle decide to switch from a 4-2-3-1 formation to a 4-3-3 setup.

Yoane Wissa and Mathias Fernandez-Pardo are both in danger of dropping out of the first XI, with William Osula pushing to return up front, while Dan Burn is not yet ready to start in defence having only just recovered from injury, so Malick Thiaw and Sven Botman should continue at centre-back.

As for Aston Villa, Amadou Onana (knee), Ian Maatsen (ankle), Matteo Ruggeri (thigh) and Modo Cisse (unspecified) all remain out with injuries, while George Hemmings (knee) and Brian Madjo (ankle) are both doubtful.

Leon Goretzka recovered from injury to make his first appearance for the club as a substitute in midweek. A start on Saturday is unlikely, though, as Emery is set to recall Joao Gomes to link up with Boubacar Kamara in centre-midfield.

Playmaker Emiliano Buendia may also start at the expense of Barkley, while John McGinn and Johan Manzambi are the most likely duo to operate out wide and provide support for in-form striker Nicolas Jackson, who has scored four goals in his last three appearances.

Newcastle United possible starting lineup:

Hornicek; Dedic, Thiaw, Botman, Hall; Joelinton, Gonzalez, Willock; Murphy, Osula, Barnes

Aston Villa possible starting lineup:

Suzuki; Cash, Lindelof, Torres, Wan-Bissaka; Kamara, Gomes; McGinn, Buendia, Manzambi; Jackson

We say: Newcastle United 1-1 Aston Villa

A closely-contested affair between two teams desperate to return to winning ways and keen to quickly amend their clear signs of defensive fragility could be on the cards.

Jaissle will demand an immediate response from his Newcastle players following Monday's bruising defeat on the road, but an Aston Villa outfit – who have had more success on the road so far this term – should possess more than enough energy and hunger to frustrate the hosts and secure a hard-earned point in the North East.

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