Aston Villa and Newcastle United will aim to begin their 2025/26 Premier League campaigns on a high when they face off at Villa Park on Saturday.
The 2025/26 Premier League kicks off this week, with Liverpool hosting Bournemouth at Anfield on Friday. Saturday will feature five matches, with the action on the day kicking off with Aston Villa vs Newcastle United at Villa Park.
Aston Villa had a busy pre-season campaign, participating in eight matches, which yielded five wins and only one defeat (D2). However, the Villans have not been as active as they would have liked during the summer transfer window due to PSR concerns. So, they have signed only three players, with Yasin Ozcan already departing from Villa Park by completing a loan move to RSC Anderlecht.
On the other hand, summer transfer window frustrations have also been a running theme at Newcastle United, with the Tyneside outfit signing only four players thus far. However, the most talked-about topic around St. James’ Park has been the Alexander Isak saga, with the Swede keen on moving to Liverpool. Meanwhile, the Magpies were inconsistent during their pre-season campaign, winning only two of their seven outings (D2 L3).
The corresponding fixture in the 2024/25 campaign saw Aston Villa clinch a 4-1 win over Newcastle United, with Fabian Schar scoring the consolation goal. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the season-opening game between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Aston Villa
Unai Emery has a new roster issue that is hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s opening fixture of the 2025/26 Premier League season. The Aston Villa manager may be bereft of the services of four first-team players vs Newcastle United on Saturday.
Emiliano Martinez is the most notable absentee, with the Argentine international serving a suspension after seeing red against Manchester United in the final match of the 2024/25 season. Meanwhile, Andres Garcia and Ross Barkley are struggling with minor issues, and Emery is sweating over Morgan Rogers’s fitness.
However, the English international should be fit and available to start on Saturday, joining Ollie Watkins, Donyell Malen, and Aston Villa captain John McGinn in the final third. As for the midfield unit, Boubacar Kamara and Youri Tielemans will pair up in the double pivot in the middle of the park.
Marco Bizot will deputise for Emiliano Martinez between the sticks, with Aston Villa lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Newcastle United on Saturday. Finally, the defensive unit should feature Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings, and Lucas Digne.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Bizot; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Digne; Kamara, Tielemans; Malen, McGinn, Rogers; Watkins
Newcastle United
Unlike his counterpart in the Aston Villa dugout, Eddie Howe has greeted a mixed bag of updates on the team news front ahead of his side’s Premier League season opener. The Newcastle United manager will be without two first-team players on Saturday.
Alexander Isak is the notable absentee, with the Swedish international indefinitely unavailable after telling Howe that he will not play for Newcastle United again. Joe Willock is the only other player on the sidelines, as he is recovering from a calf injury. However, Anthony Gordon is fit and available to take on Aston Villa this weekend.
Nick Pope should get the nod over Aaron Ramsdale between the sticks, with Newcastle United lining up in a 4-3-3 formation in front of him vs Aston Villa on Saturday. The backline should feature Kieran Trippier, Fabian Schar, Dan Burn, and Valentino Livramento, with Malick Thiaw waiting for his debut.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali, and Joelinton. Finally, Anthony Gordon should lead the line for Newcastle United against Aston Villa, with Harvey Barnes and Anthony Elanga being the two wide attackers.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Pope; Trippier, Schar, Burn, Livramento; Guimaraes, Tonali, Joelinton; Elanga, Gordon, Barnes
Key Stats
- Aston Villa beat Newcastle United 4-1 in April. However, the Villans have not won consecutive Premier League games against the Magpies since completing the double over them in the 2004/05 season. Newcastle United have lost five of their last six Premier League away games vs Aston Villa, the exception being a 3-1 victory in January 2024.
- Aston Villa started the 2024/25 season with a 2-1 win over West Ham United, most recently winning consecutive Gameweek 1 ties between 2013/14 and 2015/16.
- Newcastle United have won their opening Premier League match in the last three seasons, more times than they had in the previous 14 campaigns combined (W2 D4 L8).
- None of Aston Villa’s most recent 21 home games in all competitions (W15 D6) have ended in a defeat for the West Midlands outfit, with Unai Emery’s men winning the last eight matches. This is their longest run without defeat at Villa Park since a run of 24 between September 1976 and May 1977.
- From April until the end of the 2024/25 season, Morgan Rogers assisted more Premier League goals than any other player (6). Across the campaign, Rogers provided ten assists in open play, with only Mohamed Salah (18) and Jacob Murphy (11) producing more.
Player to Watch
Ollie Watkins
While Anthony Gordon, Anthony Elanga, and Morgan Rogers were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Ollie Watkins as the Player to Watch for Saturday’s Premier League game between Aston Villa and Newcastle United at Villa Park.
Watkins, who became Aston Villa’s highest-ever Premier League goalscorer last season, has scored in all four of his Premier League home games vs Newcastle United (G5). He also has two assists in these four games, only having a hand in more home league goals for the Villans against Brighton & Hove Albion (8). So, the Englishman will be Unai Emery’s go-to man for Saturday’s top-flight fixture.
Prediction
Aston Villa 3-1 Newcastle United
The summer transfer window has produced frustrations for Aston Villa and Newcastle United, as they have failed to sign as many players as they would have liked. However, that has not hampered the home side much, as they have been impressive during their pre-season campaign.
However, with Newcastle United struggling on both ends, Aston Villa may exploit the away side’s defensive weaknesses, thus continuing an excellent home record under Unai Emery. While the Magpies will not go down without a fight, they may not have enough quality to get anything from the match. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-1 win for Emery and his charges.