Newcastle v Aston Villa

Newcastle vs Aston Villa Preview

Newcastle will be going in search of a third win on the trot in the Premier League on Boxing Day after posting recent back-to-back wins against Leicester City and Ipswich Town respectively, and The Magpies will be keen to keep tabs on the top four pack with a win here.

Aston Villa picked up a third win in four games in the Premier League on the weekend when The Villans registered a 2-1 home win against Manchester City which lifted the west midlands club up into fifth place and just three points within touching distance of the top four pack themselves.

Two 4-0 wins on the trot for Newcastle have helped lift Eddie Howe's side back into contention for a possible European spot for next season, whether that be Champions League or Europa League remains to be seen.

Recent results overall have been a mixed bag for Newcastle though as the north-east club have only enjoyed pockets of success; the hosts started the season winning three out of their opening four games, then registered back-to-back wins followed by the two recent back-to-back wins.

Form on home soil though at St James' Park has been pretty solid for Newcastle as The Magpies have suffered just two defeats in their last 16 home games in the Premier League whilst picking up eight wins.

Aston Villa heaped further misery upon Manchester City on the weekend when the west midlands club ran out 2-1 winners at Villa Park which also became a third win in four games for Unai Emery's side following previous wins against Brentford and Southampton.

However, it should be noted that each of these recent three victories have been gained on home soil at Villa Park and are Villa's only wins within their last nine games overall in the Premier League.

Within these previous nine league games, Aston Villa have also slipped to defeats at the hands of Tottenham, Liverpool, Chelsea and Nottingham Forest respectively and it is interesting and important to note that all four of these losses were incurred away from home.

Indeed, results away from home have been inconsistent at best where Aston Villa have been concerned as the visitors have managed to capture just four wins from their last 13 outings on the road as well as losing their last four away games on the trot.

Newcastle v Aston Villa Verdict

Having lost seven out of their last 13 away games in the English top flight, Aston Villa look to have their work cut out against a fairly solid Newcastle outfit at St James' Park especially as Newcastle have won the last two encounters on the trot.

Therefore, our main bet will be Newcastle win @ 1.83

Other side bets worth considering:

Newcastle win & Under 2.5 goals @ 5.50

Correct Score: Newcastle 2-0 @ 11.00