Two teams looking to bounce back from opening-weekend defeats will lock horns in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon, as Aston Villa welcome Newcastle United to Villa Park.
Villa started their 2021-22 campaign with a 3-2 loss at newly-promoted Watford on Saturday, while Newcastle started their season with a 4-2 reverse at home to West Ham United.
Match preview
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Villa started life without Jack Grealish away to Watford on Saturday, and it was a disappointing result for Dean Smith's side, who were three goals behind to the home side in the 67th minute of the contest.
John McGinn and Danny Ings scored for Villa in the final 20 minutes, but the latter's penalty came in the seventh minute of additional time, meaning it was a case of too little, too late in terms of a recovery.
Defensively, it was a poor display from Smith's side, but there were positives in the final third of the field, particularly the display of new signing Leon Bailey, who impressed off the bench, and the club's supporters will be looking forward to seeing the new arrivals at Villa Park on Saturday afternoon.
Villa have a busy end to the month, as they will take on Barrow in the EFL Cup on August 24 before hosting Brentford in the Premier League on August 28; September then starts with a trip to Chelsea, while Everton and Manchester United will also be opponents in the league next month.
Smith's side, who finished 11th in the Premier League last term, struggled for consistency at home last season, picking up just 25 points from their 19 matches, but they recorded a 2-0 victory over Newcastle in the corresponding match during the 2020-21 campaign.
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Newcastle, as mentioned, also made a disappointing start to their new season, suffering a 4-2 defeat to West Ham in front of their own supporters on Sunday afternoon.
The Magpies led 1-0 and 2-1 at St James' Park, but West Ham then scored three unanswered goals in the second period to pick up an impressive three points, and there will be pressure on head coach Steve Bruce this weekend despite the fact that the season has only just started.
Newcastle have spent heavily on Joe Willock this summer, and it remains to be seen whether the club are able to make any more new signings before the window slams shut.
The Magpies, like Villa, will also be in EFL Cup action next week, taking on Burnley at home, before ending the month of August with a home match against Southampton; September then begins with a trip to a Manchester United side that look capable of challenging for this season's Premier League title.
Bruce's side actually managed to pick up points in 10 of their 19 away league matches last season, which is an impressive record considering that they finished 12th, one spot but 10 points behind their opponents here.
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Team News
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Villa will again be without the services of Trezeguet and Morgan Sanson through injury, but Douglas Luiz could be available, as the midfielder has returned to training following his involvement for Brazil at the Olympics.
Luiz could immediately come into the first XI alongside McGinn as part of a midfield two, while there should be a start for Bailey following his impressive performance off the bench against Watford.
Jacob Ramsey is also pushing to be involved from the start, but Ollie Watkins needs to prove his fitness in the build-up to this match; Smith could ultimately decide to name the Englishman on the bench, as he recovers from a knee problem, with Ings again leading the line.
Bertrand Traore picked up a hamstring injury in a behind-closed-doors friendly with Liverpool, meanwhile, and is now a major doubt for this weekend's contest.
As for Newcastle, Martin Dubravka and Paul Dummett remain on the sidelines through injury, while Karl Darlow is still struggling following a bout of coronavirus and is likely to miss out again here.
Jamaal Lascelles was an unused substitute against West Ham due to a lack of fitness, but the centre-back is expected to be cleared to start this match, with Emil Krafth set to drop out of the side.
Willock was not registered in time to make his debut against the Hammers, but the Englishman will be in the side here, with Jonjo Shelvey potentially dropping down to the bench.
There are unlikely to be any changes in the final third of the field, though, with Callum Wilson set to be joined by Allan Saint-Maximin in a front two.
Aston Villa possible starting lineup:
Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Targett; McGinn, Luiz; Bailey, Buendia, Ramsey; Ings
Newcastle United possible starting lineup:
Woodman; Fernandez, Lascelles, Clark; Murphy, Willock, Hayden, Almiron, Ritchie; Wilson, Saint-Maximin
We say: Aston Villa 2-1 Newcastle United
It is obviously very early in the season, but there is no downplaying the importance of this match, as both sides started 2021-22 with disappointing results last weekend. Newcastle have more than enough to find the back of the net on Saturday, but we fancy Villa to shade a close contest in front of their own supporters.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Aston Villa win with a probability of 43.18%. A win for Newcastle United had a probability of 29.05% and a draw had a probability of 27.8%.
The most likely scoreline for an Aston Villa win was 1-0 with a probability of 12.73%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (8.52%) and 2-0 (8.34%). The likeliest Newcastle United win was 0-1 (9.93%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (13%). The actual scoreline of 2-0 was predicted with an 8.3% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Aston Villa would win this match.
