Newcastle vs Aston Villa: EPL Match Preview, Predicted Line-ups and Fantasy XI
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.
Following an eventful encounter between the clubs in pre-season, Newcastle United vs Aston Villa meet again on Saturday, when they kick off their new Premier League campaigns at St James' Park.
Newcastle vs Aston Villa: Match Preview
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.
Tonali will try to impress at Tyneside (Image- Getty Images)
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.
Not putting a ceiling on what we can achieve. ð
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.
Team News:
Newcastle:
Newcastle will be without Joe Willock, Emil Krafth, Javier Manquillo and potentially Fabian Schar for their clash against Villa, though Schar is currently being assessed and might pass fitness tests ahead of the game. The other three will likely be available again in the next month or so.
Aston Villa:
Aston Villa, meanwhile, are missing Jacob Ramsey and Alex Moreno, who are both recovering from a metatarsal fracture and hamstring tear, respectively. The latter is expected to return in the coming weeks, while Ramsey's recovery could take a little while longer. Emi Buendia, on the other hand, could miss the majority of the season after suffering a reported ACL tear during training.
Newcastle United have a good historical record against Aston Villa and have won 73 out of the 171 matches played between the two teams, as opposed to Aston Villa's 59 victories.
Newcastle United are unbeaten in their last 14 matches at home against Aston Villa in the Premier League, with their previous such defeat coming by a 3-0 scoreline in April 2005.
Aston Villa defeated Newcastle United by a convincing 3-0 scoreline in April this year and have not won consecutive Premier League matches against the Magpies since 2005.
Newcastle United have won a total of 24 matches in the Premier League against Aston Villa â more than they have managed against any other opponent in the competition.
Most English Top Flight Titles: Liverpool equal with United
With their 20th top-flight title, Liverpool FC have now equalled Manchester United for the record of most English top flight titles. Here are the other teams on the list.
With their 20th top-flight title, Liverpool FC have now equalled Manchester United for the record of most English top flight titles. Through the eras of English football, Manchester United and Liverpool FC have made themselves one of the most successful clubs in the league's history.
Founded in 1888, the English Football League started as the Football League, the oldest football league in the world. In 1892, the Football League First Division kicked off and continued till 1991 as the top flight football league in England.
Later, in 1992, the Premier League was created and replaced the Football League First Division as the top flight football league in England.
In this article, we will discuss all the teams with the most titles in England's top flight football. Till now, 24 clubs have been able to lift the top flight title.
10. Sheffield United, West Bromwich Albion, Ipswich Town, Nottingham Forest, Leicester City | 1 title
Leicester City won the Premier League title in 2015-16 season.
Sheffield United, West Bromwich Albion, Ipswich Town, Nottingham Forest and Leicester City have been crowned the champions of English football once. Sheffield United won the league in 1897–98, the tenth season of the Football League First Division. Since then, they have roamed between the first division and second division leagues.
West Bromwich Albion won the league in 1919–20, right after the First World War. Ipswich Town won the competition in 1961–62, while Nottingham Forest won in 1977–78.
Leicester City are the only team to win the league in the Premier League when they lifted the Premier League in a miraculous 2015–16 season.
9. Preston North End, Burnley, Portsmouth, Tottenham Hotspur, Derby County | 2 titles
Preston North End, the first ever champion of the Football League, won the title in back-to-back seasons. This made them the first ever team to win a football league and also defend it. They won the league in the 1888–89 and 1889–90 seasons. Preston now plays in the EFL Championship.
Burnley, who recently got promoted to the Premier League this season, won the league twice in the 1920–21 and 1959–60 seasons. Portsmouth won the title first time in the 1948-49 season and then defended the crown in the next season as well.
Spurs, one of the big six of English football, won the league in the 1950–51, 1960–61 seasons. Since then, they have not been able to win the league again. Derby County won the title in the 1971–72 and 1974–75 seasons.
Blackburn Rovers, one of the founding members of the Football League, won the league twice in the 1911–12 and 1913–14 seasons. Then, they were crowned the Premier League champions in 1994–95, when Alan Shearer brought them to glory with 34 goals. But in the next season, they were relegated to the second division.
Huddersfield Town were one of the stronger teams in English football, winning the First Division in three back-to-back seasons in 1923–24, 1924–25 and 1925–26. But, after many promotions and relegations, they now play in the third division in England.
Wolves, who are now competing in the Premier League, won the first-division title in the 1953–54, 1957–58, and 1958–59 seasons.
Leeds United, who also won promotion to the Premier League, won the first division in 1968–69, 1973–74, and 1991–92 seasons. They were the last champions of the Football League First Division before the Premier League took over.
7. Sheffield Wednesday, Newcastle United | 4 titles
Sheffield Wednesday, the second-oldest professional association football club in England, have won the league four times and are one of the most successful clubs in English football. They won the league in the 1902–03, 1903–04, 1928–29, and 1929–30 seasons.
Newcastle United, one of the biggest names in English football, have spent 93 years in the top tier of English football. They and Sheffield Wednesday won the league in back-to-back seasons. Newcastle won in 1904–05, 1906–07, 1908–09, 1926–27.
6. Sunderland, Chelsea FC | 6 titles
Chelsea FC won their 6th top flight title in 2016-17 season.
Newcastle United's arch-rival, Sunderland, are one of the most underrated teams in tournament history. They were also the first winners of the Football League First Division in the 1892 season. Nicknamed Black Cats, they won the First Division titles in 1891–92, 1892–93, 1894–95, 1901–02, 1912–13, 1935–36.
Chelsea, one of the most prominent names in European football. Before the Premier League era started, Chelsea had only won the First Division league once in the 1954–55 season. But, after Roman Abramovich's takeover, Chelsea evolved as one of the strongest teams in the Premeier League.
In the Premier League era, they won the title in 2004–05, 2005–06, 2009–10, 2014–15, and 2016–17.
Although they have not won the league title in the Premier League era, Aston Villa are still one of the most successful clubs in England's top-tier football. In fact, it was William McGregor, the Aston Villa director, who founded the Football League in 1888, which was the World's First Football League as mentioned earlier.
Not only that, George Ramsay, who was Villa manager in 1886, was the world's first professional football manager.
With 7 titles in 1893–94, 1895–96, 1896–97, 1898–99, 1899–1900, 1909–10, and 1980–81, they still remain one of the oldest clubs to remain in the top-flight football.
4. Everton | 9 titles
Everton team with 1986-87 English First Division League.
Another club with great history and culture that lost the battle in modern football. Although Everton have stayed in the First Division of Football for more than 122 years now, is one of the three clubs to be a founding member of the Football League and Premier League.
Everton won the First Division titles in 1890–91, 1914–15, 1927–28, 1931–32, 1938–39, 1962–63, 1969–70, 1984–85, and 1986–87 seasons. This makes them the club with the fourth most English Top Flight titles.
3. Manchester City | 10 titles
Manchester City with their Premier League title in 2023-24 season.
Since then, they have won 6 Premier League titles, out of which four came in consecutive seasons from 2020 to 2024, which is a record in English top flight football. Before Pep Guardiola, it was Roberto Mancini, who led them to Premier League success in the 2011-12 season, the club's first league title in 45 years.
Till now, Manchester City have won 10 titles in top-flight English football. Their success came in 1936–37, 1967–68, 2011–12, 2013–14, 2017–18, 2018–19, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23, and 2023–24.
Arsenal squad with their 2003-04 Premier League title.
One of the most loved and historical clubs in England, Arsenal, comes in the list as the third club with the most English top-flight titles. They were the second most successful club in the top flight before Manchester United went past them in the Premier League era.
From 1931 to 1938, they won the First Division League five times in 8 seasons, which made them one of the most loved and feared clubs in England. In the Premier League era, they won the league three times in 1997–98, 2001–02, and 2003–04.
Arsenal were crowned the champions of England in 1930–31, 1932–33, 1933–34, 1934–35, 1937–38, 1947–48, 1952–53, 1970–71, 1988–89, 1990–91, 1997–98, 2001–02, 2003–04.
Liverpool FC after wining the 2024-25 Premier League title.
After Liverpool FC's success in the Premier League 2024-25, they have now equalled Manchester United's record for most English Top Flight titles with 20 titles.
Both Liverpool and Manchester United are among the most popular football teams in World football. Liverpool were ahead of Manchester United in terms of top-flight titles, but Manchester United's resurgence under Sir Alex Ferguson left them behind.
Manchester United with their Premier League title in 2012-13 season.
In the Premier League era, Manchester United won the most titles. Their 13 Premier League titles are yet to be matched by any club, although they won the league title last time in the 2012-13 season.
Meantime, in the Premier League era, Liverpool have only won the league title twice, in the 2019-20 and 2024-25 seasons.
Manchester United have won the league in 1907–08, 1910–11, 1951–52, 1955–56, 1956–57, 1964–65, 1966–67, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2010–11, 2012–13.
Meantime, Liverpool FC won the league in 1900–01, 1905–06, 1921–22, 1922–23, 1946–47, 1963–64, 1965–66, 1972–73, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1978–79, 1979–80, 1981–82, 1982–83,1983–84, 1985–86, 1987–88, 1989–90, 2019–20, 2024–25.
Ryan Giggs played 25 years at Manchester United and won 13 Premier League titles with the club. Giggs is at the top of the list in terms of winning the most premier league titles as a player.
Premier League, also known as English Premier League, is the top-tier football league in England. This league consists of 20 teams in a league system with a relegation and promotion system to/from the English Championship.
Each team plays 38 matches against every other 19 at home and away. The seasons generally start in August and run till May. This premier league is the most-watched sports league globally and is broadcast in over 200 territories with an average number of viewers of 4.7 billion.
The English Premier League is the most valuable sports league in the world, with a valuation of 4 billion pounds. This league also has a direct effect on the economy of England. Different regions have different clubs with private ownership.
The 2023-24 season came to an end with Manchester City winning their ninth league title. The players need to give their everything for an entire season to win the league, and those players become legends by doing such things. In this article, we'll have a look at the players with the most Premier League titles in the history of the competition.
Ryan Giggs won thirteen Premier League titles | Image: X
It's a testament to Manchester United's dominance throughout the Premier League's history that every player on this top-five list was one of Sir Alex Ferguson's former stars. Ryan Giggs comes at the top of this list with a record 13 league titles.
The Manchester United legend spent 25 years at the club and made 963 appearances. He was never a star or anything. Giggs was like someone who always gave his everything for the badge. He broke numerous records at Old Trafford, and the fact that he's lifted the Premier League trophy more than anyone else, is what sets him apart from the rest.
2. Paul Scholes (Manchester United) | 11 titles
Paul Scholes won eleven Premier League titles | Image: Getty
One of the greatest central midfielders in Premier League and European football history, Paul Scholes tasted so much success at Manchester United. The Englishman spent his entire career at Old Trafford and won a remarkable 11 Premier League titles under Sir Alex Ferguson.
He was a star player and often considered the best midfielder to ever play for Manchester United and in the Premier League. The debate over whether Scholes was better than Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard is still going on to date, but if anyone judges by the numbers, then Scholes is miles ahead.
3. Gary Neville (Manchester United) | 8 titles
Gary Neville won eight Premier League titles | Image: Getty
Gary Neville spent his entire career as a first-team figure at Old Trafford and won plenty of silverware during that time.
The former England right-back saw the most success domestically, though, winning the Premier League eight times and he was also the skipper on most occasions. Neville is often considered one of the most underrated players to ever play for Manchester United and England.
4. Denis Irwin (Manchester United) | 7 titles
Denis Irwin won seven Premier League titles | Image: X
Denis Irwin is another Manchester United great who won numerous silverware, including 7 Premier League titles at the club. Irwin is the joint-most successful Irish footballer in history, a record he shares with fellow Manchester United stalwart Roy Keane, having won 19 trophies in his career.
The left-back appeared in 529 games for the Red Devils and also scored 33 goals. Irwin brought the curtain down on a glittering 12 years against Charlton Athletic at Old Trafford in May 2002. He remains United’s second-most-decorated player, with 13 winners’ medals.
5. Roy Keane (Manchester United) | 7 titles
Roy Keane won seven Premier League titles | Image: X
Interestingly, almost all of Roy Keane and Denis Irwin's success in the league came together, winning six of their seven titles alongside one another.
Sir Alex Ferguson labelled him the best he ever worked with, which speaks volumes. It is enough to consider Roy Keane as one of the greats of Manchester United. The way he led the team from the front, on and off the pitch, and the fact that more than 70k United and Celtic fans paid their tributes to him at his testimonial before he retired in June 2006, says everything.
He played 480 games for the Red Devils in his 12-year stay and won everything, including 7 Premier League titles.
Leeds United and Burnley secure promotion to the Premier League - Latest football news
Leeds United and Burnley have secured promotion to the Premier League for the next season after confirming the top places in the EFL Championship this season.
Leeds United and Burnley have secured promotion to the Premier League for the next season after confirming the top places in the EFL Championship this season on Monday.
Leeds, who last played in the Premier League in the 2022/23 season, will return to the top flight after beating Stoke City by 6-0. Joel Piroe scored four goals for Daniel Farke's Whites to have a chance to secure the automatic promotion.
Piroe is now leading the race for the Championship Golden Boot with 19 goals, two ahead of his next competitor, Norwich City's Borja Sainz.
Burnley beat Sheffield United by 2-1
Josh Brownhill's first-half brace was enough for Burnley to secure an easy 2-1 win over the Blades
But Leeds needed Sheffield United to drop points at Turf Moor against Burnley later. Josh Brownhill's first-half brace was enough for Burnley to secure an easy 2-1 win over the Blades as both Clarets and the Whites confirmed their Premier League return.
Burnley (W19 D11) are now just the second team in Championship history to go 30 consecutive games without losing after Reading (33) between August 2005 and February 2006.
Burnley, who played in the Premier League in the 2023/24 season, will return to the Premier League after a gap of one season. This means that this would be the third time Burnley head coach Scott Parker has secured promotion with a Championship side. Parker had taken Fulham to the Premier League in 2019/20 and AFC Bournemouth in 2021/22.
With Leeds' promotion, the Premier League will see the return of Daniel Farke, who coached Norwich City for 49 games in the top flight in two stints in 2018/19 and 2020/21.
Teams finishing third to sixth in the Championship points table will compete in the playoffs, before the mega final at Wembley Stadium. The winner of the final will finish in third place to earn a promotion to the Premier League alongside Leeds United and Burnley FC.
Last season, Real Madrid went on to win the UEFA Champions League for a record 15th time. As we inch closer to this season's final, we take a look at the Champions League winners list since 1956.
The Champions League was earlier called the European Cup, and it started in 1955, and the first winner was Real Madrid. For the next 5 years, Real Madrid did not let anyone get close to the trophy.
Since then, 23 teams have won the glory, with Manchester City being the most recent one. As we get close to another UEFA Champions League final, we take a look at the Champions League winners list since 1965.
Real Madrid with their 15th UCL title in 2023-24 season.
The Champions League winners list since 1955/56 is:
1956 - Real Madrid 1957 - Real Madrid 1958 - Real Madrid 1959 - Real Madrid 1960 - Real Madrid 1961 - Benfica 1962 - Benfica 1963 - AC Milan 1964 - Inter Milan 1965 - Inter Milan 1966 - Real Madrid 1967 - Celtic 1968 - Manchester United 1969- AC Milan 1970- Feyenoord 1971 - Ajax 1972 - Ajax 1973 - Ajax 1974 - Bayern 1975 - Bayern 1976 - Bayern 1977 - Liverpool 1978 - Liverpool 1979 - Nottingham Forest 1980 - Nottingham Forest 1981 - Liverpool 1982 - Aston Villa 1983 - Hamburger SV| 1984 - Liverpool 1985 - Juventus FC 1986 - Steaua București 1987 - FC Porto 1988 - PSV 1989 - AC Milan 1990 - AC Milan 1991 - Red Star Belgrade 1992 - Barcelona 1993 - Olympique de Marseille 1994 - AC Milan 1995 - Ajax 1996 - Juventus FC 1997 - Borussia Dortmund 1998 - Real Madrid 1999 - Manchester United 2000 - Real Madrid 2001 - Bayern 2002 - Real Madrid 2003 - AC Milan 2004 - Porto 2005 - Liverpool 2006 - Barcelona 2007 - AC Milan 2008 - Manchester United 2009 - Barcelona 2010 - Inter Milan 2011 - Barcelona 2012 - Chelsea FC 2013 - Bayern Munich 2014 - Real Madrid 2015 - Barcelona 2016 - Real Madrid 2017 - Real Madrid 2018 - Real Madrid 2019 - Liverpool 2020 - Bayern Munich 2021 - Chelsea FC 2022 - Real Madrid 2023 - Manchester City 2024 - Real Madrid
Let's have a look at the teams with the most trophies since 1955/56:
Real Madrid x 15 AC Milan x 7 Bayern x 6 Liverpool FC x 6 FC Barcelona x 5 Ajax x 4 Inter x 3 Manchester United x 3 Juventus x 2 Benfica x 2 Nottingham Forest x 2 Porto x 2 Chelsea x 3 Celtic x 1 Hamburger SV x 1 Steaua București x 1 Olympique de Marseille x 1 Borussia Dortmund x 1 Feyenoord x 1 Aston Villa x 1 PSV x 1 Red Star Belgrade x 1 Manchester City x 1
UEFA Champions League 2024-25 Quarter-final Second Leg Round Up: Arsenal eliminate Real Madrid; Barcelona, Inter, PSG through
Arsenal defeated Real Madrid in the second leg, whereas Barcelona and PSG stormed into the semis despite losing, and Inter Milan qualified after a thrilling draw.
The second-leg matchdays of the UEFA Champions League 2024-25Quarter-final ties havegifted us some memorable UCL nights through four of the best matches this season.
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) April 17, 2025
Aston Villa came back from trailing to beat Paris Saint-Germain 3-2 at home, whereas Dortmund defeated Barcelona 3-1, but both sides were knocked out on aggregate.
Arsenal kept their UCL unbeaten streak against Real Madrid intact, beating them 2-1 in the second leg, advancing to the semis. Inter Milan also shared the spoils with Bayern Munich in a 2-2 draw, but sealed their passage to the semi-finals.
UEFA Champions League 2024-25 Quarter-final Second Leg Round Up
Aston Villa 3-2 Paris Saint-Germain (AGG 4-5)
(Image Source | X)
Playing at their home, Villa Park, Aston Villa did not get off to a good start, letting in two goals in 30 minutes, through the PSG full-backs Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes.
Paris Saint-Germain dominated the first half, despite ending it at 2–1 as Youri Tielemans pulled one back. The second half, though, was a Villa fairy tale, netting two more goals from McGinn and Konsa and hunting for the third. Marco Asensio, late on the field, promptly made his mark, nearly scoring against his parent club.
The Guirassy hat-trick could not keep this mercurial Borussia Dortmund side out. Even though FC Barcelona seemed all at sea, making mistake after mistake that we did not witness in last week's match, they were still able to keep them at bay.
They did not really begin to play like their own team until Pedri came onto the field in the later stages. Other notable players in this game were De Jong holding in the midfield and Szczesny playing like he’s in his prime. However, a Bensebaini own goal kept Barca on a two-goal cushion to safely guide them through to the semis.
"Remontada," a term that was heard being uttered repeatedly again and again with this Real Madrid team, mostly from Bellingham. However, Arsenal crushed their dream of a magical comeback with a 2-1 victory in the return leg at Bernabeu.
Arsenal performed fantastically, and Arteta is worthy of all the accolades for the display set out away at the Bernabéu. Rice performed masterfully; he was all over the pitch, marking every pass; no one was penetrating him.
Ninety long minutes at the Bernabeu, and we heard you all game long.
Bukayo Saka failed to convert an early penalty due to a marvellous save from Courtois. However, he redeemed himself with the opening goal in the 65th minute, but it was canceled out after Vinicius scored the equalizer only two minutes later.
Gabriel Martinelli netted the winner in injury time, leading Arsenal to another win against Real Madrid and keeping their unbeaten record against Los Blancos in the UCL intact.
Bayern Munich played pretty much the majority of the second leg on the back foot, but Inter Milan held them to a chilling 2-2 draw at home. Lautaro Martinez had enough opportunities, showed some lovely dibbles, and obviously scored; all of these earned him the man of the match award.
Kane did everything in his power, but it was just not good enough, and it's disappointing to see this Bayern side leave, particularly because it's Müller's final Champions League campaign with the side.
It was Kane who opened the scoring, but two back-to-back strikes from Lautaro and Pavard put Inter at the top again. Eric Dier scored the equalizer from a tough angle, but the Bavarians failed to score another to equalize the tie — better to say, Inter Milan defended masterfully!
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