Newcastle v Aston Villa - Match Preview

Two unexpected victories in their last two games see Newcastle in the somewhat unusual position of being favourites to win against Aston Villa this weekend.

Following the Crystal Palace debacle, it would be fair to say that most Newcastle fans had written off the two games against Liverpool and Spurs, and were focusing on the Villa game this weekend as a game that they would have to win, and failure to do so would more than likely have cost Steve McClaren his job.

However, with the superb performance against Liverpool in our last home game, and the fantastic second half comeback in North London, the whole scenario has changed.

Confidence appears to be restored in a group of players whose commitment and passion was being questioned by all and sundry just a couple of short weeks ago. With Wijnaldum looking back to his best after a lull in his level of performance previously, and a renewed energy returning to Moussa Sissoko’s game, the big performances from the big players are helping to instil belief back to a club that had seemingly lost its way.

That said, football is an unforgiving game, and it is important for the players to realise that any thoughts of taking their foot off the gas, or getting over-confident, could see the club undo all of the hard work they have put in and bring back the nerves, pressure and criticism they have endured before.

The other thing, of course, is that they have now shown what they can do and what they are capable of. The fans will now accept nothing less than this level of performance, attitude and effort week in week out.

Aston Villa are currently receiving the same criticisms that we were. However, it will be hard to find a single Newcastle fan that will have any sympathy for them or their fans. We all remember that fateful final day of the 2008/09 season when a Damien Duff own goal ensured our relegation to the Championship. What lingers in the memory most is the delirium of the Villa fans with their ‘Who’s your next messiah’ banner, their constant mocking and ridicule of us and our fans, and the utter arrogance of their ‘it won’t happen to us’ attitude.

They should have realised that Karma can come and bite you at any time. As the saying goes – what goes around, comes around.

I for one would take as much, if not more, pleasure from their relegation than the Mackems.

I am old enough to remember the great Aston Villa side that beat Bayern Munich in Rotterdam, to win the European cup in 1982. With Players like Tony Morley, Gary Shaw, Dennis Mortimer, Allan Evans, Gordon Cowans and, of course Peter Withe, they were a great side to watch. Their current side are the polar opposite of that wonderful team.

It is hard to see them escaping the drop this season, after a couple of near misses the last few seasons, where they finished 17th 2014/15; 15th 2013/14; 15th 2012/13; and 16th 2011/12. Although, the same thing was said of Leicester last year.

Ironically, Birmingham’s second club have only beaten Newcastle once in the ten meetings since that relegation we suffered, and we are unbeaten in the last 8 meetings between the two sides, winning five and drawing three.

McClaren’s only major dilemma this weekend will be up front. He will have to decide between naming an unchanged team to that which started the last two victories, or whether to make a change to one or both of the forwards.

Certainly we looked a better threat with Ayoze Pérez on the pitch against Tottenham last Sunday, but McClaren has to decide if Pérez will be more effective coming off the bench, or whether he can produce that same threat from the start. Siem De Jong has not done anything wrong in his couple of starts, and many fans think we look a better team with him in it, so this will be a tough choice for the manager.

The other forward position, in my opinion, is a more straight forward choice between Papiss Cissé and Aleksandar Mitrović. Personally, I think Cissé has been fairly ineffectual since his opening goal at Selhurst Park, and I think he is caught offside too often. For me, I would start the Serbian ahead of him.

I think we will line up with Mitrović for Cissé as the only change, and I also think that we will continue our upturn in fortunes with a 2-0 win.

Possible line-up:

Elliott

Janmaat

Mbemba

Coloccini

Dummett

Anita

Colback

Sissoko

Wijnaldum

De Jong

Mitrovic

Ref Watch:

Martin Atkinson

The West Riding official has not shown a single red card in the Premier League this season. However, he has shown the most yellow cards (55), which is more than any other top flight official.

This is the second time he has took charge of a Newcastle fixture this season – the previous game being the 2-2 draw with Chelsea at SJP, during which he booked Jack Colback. His only previous game involving Aston Villa this season was their single goal defeat at home to West Bromwich Albion.