Newcastle United and Aston Villa will look to begin their 2023/24 Premier League campaigns in positive fashion when they lock horns against each other at St. James’ Park on Saturday.
The Premier League is almost upon us! After warming up their boots in pre-season, the stars are ready for the real thing. Following a very productive summer transfer window so far, two of the Premier League’s most exciting sides lock horns on opening matchday as Eddie Howe’s high-flying Newcastle United play host to Unai Emery’s ambitious Aston Villa.
Fresh off their historic UEFA Champions League qualification last time out, many will be expecting the Magpies to compete for a top-four spot once again this campaign, and, to help his side achieve that objective, Harvey Barnes and Sandro Tonali have been brought through the door for big money this summer.
Newcastle United enjoyed a strong pre-season that saw them go unbeaten in the Premier League Summer Series, followed by home victories against both Fiorentina and Villarreal in the Sela Cup.
Aston Villa, meanwhile, will be looking to build on their seventh-place finish last season this term. Indeed, this will be their first full season in charge under miracle worker Unai Emery, who took the helm last October, with the Midlands outfit in 17th position in the Premier League with just two wins from 12 matches.
The Spaniard transformed the fortunes of the Midlands outfit completely, making them one of the most in-form teams towards the end of last season. They have had a good transfer window, with players coming in to bolster key areas of the squad.
They snapped up midfield maestro Youri Tielemans on a free transfer from Leicester City in a shrewd piece of business before making statement captures of defender Pau Torres from Villarreal and winger Moussa Diaby from Bayer Leverkusen.
The Villans will fancy themselves getting a result from St. James’ Park, having had an excellent, unbeaten pre-season. They had a good Premier League Summer Series Stateside as well as picking up wins against Lazio and Valencia.
The last time these two clubs met was only last month in a friendly as part of the inaugural Premier League summer series in the United States. The match ended in a 3-3 draw that day. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Newcastle United
Not putting a ceiling on what we can achieve. 👊
All set for the 23/24 season! 🔜 pic.twitter.com/B6C635gO6w
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) August 11, 2023
Newcastle will be without the services of Emil Krafth (ACL) and Joe Willock (hamstring), with both of them missing the pre-season due to respective injuries. Meanwhile, Javier Manquillo is struggling with a thigh issue.
Willock, for one, picked up a hamstring problem at the back end of the 2022/23 campaign, which has proven more serious than initially thought. Fortunately, there are no other major concerns heading into the new campaign as it stands.
Eddie Howe will continue with the 4-3-3 formation he utilised so effectively last term. The rock-solid back-four marshalled by Kieran Trippier pretty much picks itself up after a stellar season last time out, with Nick Pope manning the goal after undergoing dislocated finger surgery in the off-season.
Howe has several big decisions to make in midfield as summer signing Tonali competes with the likes of Elliot Anderson, Bruno Guimaraes, Joelinton, and Sean Longstaff for a starting spot. Wide-forwards Miguel Almiron and Harvey Barnes will be tasked with putting their pace and creativity to good use and fashioning scoring opportunities themselves if they arrive.
Another big dilemma for Howe this weekend is who starts up top. Last season’s top scorer, Callum Wilson, has scored 11 goals in his past 12 Premier League games, averaging a goal every 58 minutes in a stellar purple patch. However, Alexander Isak’s ability to dribble past his marker, link up with attackers around him, and score goals will help him edge ahead of the Englishman for this game, it seems.
Youngsters Lewis Miley and Alex Murphy will also be knocking on the door to feature for Newcastle in the Premier League season opener against Villa after impressing in the Magpies’ pre-season campaign.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Pope; Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn; Tonali, Guimaraes, Joelinton; Almiron, Isak, Barnes
Aston Villa
In a huge blow for Aston Villa and manager Unai Emery, Emiliano Buendia has suffered a significant knee ligament injury ahead of Saturday’s opener, which is such a shame given he looked excellent in the United States pre-season.
Jacob Ramsey has also been ruled out, having not featured at all in pre-season since breaking his metatarsal on international duty with England during the UEFA Under-21 European Championships, while Alex Moreno is another who has not played any part of pre-season and is ruled out.
New arrivals Pau Torres, Youri Tielemans, and Diaby will all hope to make their competitive debuts here, with the former perhaps getting the nod alongside Ezri Konsa and Tyrone Mings, operating as a full-back out of possession before rotating to a more familiar role on the left of a back three when Villa have the ball.
Full focus. 😤 pic.twitter.com/J8WqVH32qh
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) August 11, 2023
Matty Cash and Lucas Digne will have a key role to play on the flanks, with Boubacar Kamara and Youri Tielemans forming the double-pivot in the engine room. In Ramsey’s absence, John McGinn could be pushing into a more attacking role, with Diaby looking to destroy defenders in one-vs-one situations on the left half space.
With eleven goals and six assists to his name during his loan spell at Middlesbrough last term, Cameron Archer returns to Villa Park as the primary deputy to Ollie Watkins but also can play out wide if needed.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Martinez; Konsa, Mings, Torres; Cash, Kamara, Tielemans, Digne; McGinn, Diaby; Watkins
Key Stats
- Newcastle United are unbeaten in their last 16 home matches against Aston Villa in all competitions.
- Aston Villa defeated Newcastle United by a comprehensive 3-0 scoreline in April this year, but they have not won back-to-back Premier League matches against the Magpies since 2005.
- Newcastle United have won the opening game of the season in two of their last three campaigns.
- Harvey Barnes has been involved in nine goals in his 11 appearances against Aston Villa (five goals, four assists).
- Newcastle have netted 17 goals in seven pre-season matches, while Villa have scored 13 goals in the previous five pre-season games.
Player to Watch
Ollie Watkins
After his excellent goal production in the last couple of seasons, Ollie Watkins has firmly established himself as a proven Premier League striker and continues to be an important source of goals for this Aston Villa team. He racked up 15 goals and six assists in the Premier League during the 2022/23 campaign and is banging on the door of England manager Gareth Southgate for a return to the Three Lions setup.
The 27-year-old is also not just about goals; he also works tenaciously to work the channel, link up the attack, and is prepared to track back to help out the midfielders defensively.
Moussa Diaby’s summer arrival would also suit the English striker, given his versatility to switch roles to find more space to run in behind and have more scoring opportunities. When these sides last met in a competitive game, he grabbed a goal and an assist in a 3-0 victory and gave Newcastle defenders a run for their money. He would be looking to make a similar impact this time around, too.
Prediction
Newcastle United 1-1 Aston Villa
Newcastle United will be looking to hit the ground running at St. James’s Park on Saturday evening. But Aston Villa will put them through the wringer after a tremendous pre-season themselves. The mood is broadly positive in both camps, and they look set to replicate last season’s success in the new campaign. But they will have to settle with a single point from their Premier League opener, as they are too evenly matched to separate.
Both are coached by smart, flexible managers and boast a variety of attacking talent, but they also have a rock-solid defensive system to avoid conceding goals at the back. With that in mind, The Hard Tackle predicts a share of the spoils between Newcastle and Villa in what could be a tight game this Saturday.
