Newcastle United will host Aston Villa at St. James’ Park on Sunday, with both teams looking to pick up crucial wins this weekend.

Newcastle United are unbeaten in five of their last six Premier League matches, and they are coming into this game vs Aston Villa on the back of three wins and a draw from their last four Premier League outings.

The only defeat in their last six matches has come against Manchester City in the EFL Cup, and Newcastle United will be full of confidence. It will be interesting to see if Eddie Howe’s charges can pick up all three points.

Meanwhile, Aston Villa have lost two of their last four Premier League matches, and they will look to bounce back and keep their faint Premier League title hopes alive. However, the West Midlands outfit returned to winning ways in the UEFA Europa League by beating Fenerbahce 1-0 on Thursday.

The Villans are third in the league table and need to get their season back on track if they want to finish in the top four and secure UEFA Champions League qualification for next season. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.

Team News & Tactics

Newcastle United

William Osula (ankle), Dan Burn (chest), Emil Krafth (knee), Jamaal Lascelles (undisclosed), Tino Livramento (thigh), Jacob Murphy (knee), and Fabian Schar (ankle) are all ruled out for the home side. Bruno Guimamares could miss out with an ankle injury.

Newcastle United will shape up in a 4-3-1-2 formation, with Aaron Ramsdale in goal. Kieran Trippier and Lewis Hall will start as the full-backs. They will look to help out at both ends of the pitch. Sven Botman and Malick Thiaw will form the central defensive partnership.

As for the midfield unit, Lewis Miley will start in the middle of the park alongside Sandro Tonali and Joelinton. Joelinton and Miley will look to add creativity and drive to the side, while Tonali looks to provide defensive cover.

Anthony Gordon will start as the attacking midfielder, and he will look to create openings in the final third. Finally, Nick Woltemade will lead the Newcastle United attack alongside Yoane Wissa.

Probable Lineup (4-3-1-2): Ramsdale; Trippier, Botman, Thiaw, Hall; Miley, Tonali, Joelinton; Gordon; Wissa, Woltemade

Aston Villa

Boubacar Kamara and John McGinn are out with knee injuries, while Ross Barkley is recovering from a knee issue as well. However, Emiliano Martinez may be fit and available to take on Newcastle United after recovering from a calf complaint.

Aston Villa will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Newcastle United, with Marco Bizot in goal. Matty Cash and Lucas Digne will start as the full-backs. They will look to keep things tight at the back. Meanwhile, Ezri Konsa will start alongside Pau Torres at the heart of the defence.

As for the midfield unit, Youri Tielemans and Lamare Bogarde will provide defensive cover and control. Morgan Rogers will be deployed in the attacking midfield role, looking to link the midfield to the attack.

Evann Guessand and Emiliano Buendia will start on the flanks. They will look to create goalscoring opportunities and add unpredictability in the final third. Finally, Ollie Watkins will lead the line for Aston Villa vs Newcastle United on Sunday.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Bizot; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Tielemans, Bogarde; Buendia, Rogers, Guessand; Watkins

Key Stats

• Newcastle United are undefeated in their last 18 home matches against Aston Villa in all competitions.
• Newcastle United have scored at least three goals in their last four home matches against Aston Villa in all competitions. Meanwhile, 24 goals have been scored in the last six matches between these two teams.
• Aston Villa are undefeated in four of their last six Premier League matches, and Newcastle United have lost just once in that time.
• Newcastle United are unbeaten in their last eight home Premier League matches (W6 D2) and have started 2026 with consecutive victories at St James’ Park, beating Crystal Palace and Leeds United. The last time the Magpies won their first three home Premier League games in a year was in 2012, the third game of which was against Aston Villa.
• Only Arsenal (21) have won more away Premier League points this season than Aston Villa (18), despite the Villans having a minus goal difference on the road (15 scored, 16 conceded). Their 1.64 points per game on the road in 2025/26 is their best in any campaign since 2009/10 (1.68).

Player to Watch

Nick Woltemade

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The German international will be our key player to watch. He will look to create opportunities for his teammates and score goals. Aston Villa will look to shut out the opposition here, and Newcastle United will need the ingenuity and hold-up play from Woltemade to break down the defence. He could make a defining contribution to his team here. Newcastle will need him to step up if they want to pick up all three points.

Prediction

Newcastle United 2-1 Aston Villa

Both teams will be looking for the three points here, and this is likely to be a crunch contest. Neither side will want to end up on the losing side. They will look to score goals here, and both teams are likely to get on the score sheet.

However, Newcastle United have an impressive home record against Aston Villa, and they are in impressive form right now. They should be able to grind out a narrow victory here. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Eddie Howe and his charges.