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On Thursday afternoon, Newcastle will host Aston Villa at St. James' Park in what might end up being a wild Boxing Day match. Here are our match analysis and predictions.
Previous Matches and Head-to-head
To begin with, the home team, the Magpies, have made a storming comeback after being embroiled in a public controversy upon their return from the international break in November. As a result of Eddie Howe relieving some of the burden, the former Bournemouth manager saw a strong performance from his team last weekend.
After cruising to a 4-0 victory over relegation-battling Ipswich on Thursday, the hosts have won their last three games in all competitions. In addition to continuing their EFL Cup run last week with a 3-1 home win against Brentford, Howe's squad has discovered a genuine clinical advantage in the last third of the field.
Newcastle have won their past three games in a row by a combined score of 11-1. In each of their last five matches, they have scored twice. The Magpies will be looking to build on their recent surge if they can find a way to go back into the league's top half.
In contrast, Unai Emery's squad claimed an instant reaction last weekend after suffering a late heartache away at Nottingham Forest earlier in the month. After a 2-1 win against champions Manchester City, the former Arsenal manager intends to secure a repeat European berth in 2025.
Their Thursday opponents are similar to Boxing Day's hosts, having won four of their last five matches in all competitions. Aston Villa has failed to establish any kind of consistency on the road despite their historic 3-2 Champions League victory away at RB Leipzig on December 10th. Outside of the Midlands, Emery's team has lost five of their past six matches, including a straightforward 3-0 thrashing by Chelsea at the beginning of December. It should be mentioned that Villa suffered a crushing 5-1 defeat on their last visit to St. James' Park sixteen months ago.
Newcastle vs Aston Villa Team News
Nick Pope, an international for England, will sit out Boxing Day after missing out on last weekend's match away at Ipswich. Newcastle have also announced that Callum Wilson, a striker for Bournemouth in the past, would sit out Thursday's match due to an injury he sustained earlier in the month.
Alexander Isak, the offensive talisman who scored a hat trick away at Ipswich last week and has 10 goals in the Premier League this season, will spearhead Howe's assault. Jacob Murphy, who has scored three goals in his previous two games, should continue to play in the final third with Isak.
Jacob Ramsey has been out since returning from the international break in November with a hamstring injury and has not played since then. Ross Barkley, a former Chelsea midfielder, will have to settle for a bench role despite his exploits in the Champions League earlier this month.
Jhon Duran should continue to start at left back after scoring again last weekend against Manchester City and now scoring in each of his past four outings in all competitions. Joining Boubacar Kamara in the center of the field, Amadou Onana will make his Premier League debut on November 9th.
Our Predictions
Both teams will score @ 1.62 on Sky247.ng.
Fans on the sidelines are hoping for another nail-biter in this Premier League matchup because this rivalry is known for its frequent spectacular moments.
On Thursday night, Howe's Newcastle team will aim to continue their current surge, as they won both matches against Aston Villa 8-2 on aggregate last season. Note that only four of their Premier League meetings have resulted in 17 goals in all, so we're putting our money on what might be a great Christmas thriller at St. James' Park.
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