Newcastle vs Aston Villa: EPL Match Preview, Predicted Line-ups and Fantasy XI

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.

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.

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 vs Aston Villa: Head to Head:

• 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 - more than they have managed against any other opponent in the competition.

Predicted Line-ups:

Newcastle United Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Pope; Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn; Tonali, Guimaraes, Joelinton; Almiron, Isak, Barnes

Aston Villa Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Martinez; Konsa, Mings, Torres; Cash, Kamara, Tielemans, Digne; McGinn, Diaby; Watkins

Newcastle vs Aston Villa: Fantasy XI

Martinez; Konsa, Botman, Burn, Tonali, Guimaraes, Tielemans, Joelinton; Almiron, Diaby, Watkins.