Newcastle United vs Aston Villa

St James’ Park forms the backdrop for a handsomely-looking 2023/24 Premier League opener between Newcastle United and Aston Villa.

Fresh off securing a Champions League berth for the first time in over two decades, Newcastle United enjoyed an eye-catching recruitment campaign this summer, signing Sandro Tonali, Harvey Barnes, and Tino Livramento. But despite pipping Liverpool to a fourth-place finish last season, Eddie Howe’s men cannot afford to rest on their laurels if they’re to end a title drought stretching back to 1969. Howe knows in-depth about beating his Aston Villa counterpart Unai Emery, having triumphed in all four previous managerial H2Hs by an aggregate score of 11-2. That’s not the only reason for optimism among the Tyne faithful, considering the ‘Magpies’ haven’t lost any of their last 15 home meetings with Villa (W9, D6) since going down in 2005. Moreover, Newcastle established themselves as one of the best home sides in the Premier League in 2022/23, losing only two of their 19 top-flight outings at St James’ Park (W11, D6).

In the meantime, Aston Villa defied the odds last term to qualify for European competition for the first time since 2011, beating Tottenham Hotspur to a seventh-place finish. Emery, the mastermind behind Villa’s resurgence, turned a downtrodden side into European contenders since taking charge in November 2022, with only four clubs winning more Premier League points than the ‘Lions’ during his tenure. However, the Spaniard failed to address his men’s form woes on the road, as evidenced by Villa’s indifferent away record in 2022/23 (W6, D5, L8). A lack of goals was a problem, with the Birmingham outfit averaging only 0.94 per top-flight travel. Yet, they excelled when breaking the deadlock, racking up as many as 17 wins from 22 such league fixtures last season (D2, L3).