Prediction: Aston Villa vs Newcastle

16th September 2011

Two of out of just six unbeaten sides after four Premiership rounds are set to face each other at Villa Park, with both teams hoping to keep the rich vein of form. Aston Villa may feel it’s time for only their second win of the season after sharing spoils with Wolverhampton and Everton, whereas Newcastle would be more than happy with another stalemate.

The majority of Aston Villa fans were furious with Randy Lerner’s decision to appoint Alex McLeish as the new boss, which was hardly surprising considering that he arrived from fierce rivals Birmingham. However, Big Eck brought much needed stability to Villa and managed to revive several players who were on the fringes during Gerard Houllier’s reign, with the results of his hard work more than evident at the moment. Villa are not only unbeaten after first four Premiership rounds, but they look like genuine top table side, with their showings much better than last season. The arrivals of Given and Hutton, as well as the return of Stephen Warnock to the side, have added a lot of steel to the back line, whereas Gabriel Agbonlahor has also been revived despite playing on the wing. Darren Bent-Emile Heskey attacking partnership has been working like a charm, so everybody at the club are disappointed that Heskey is out with a hamstring injury, but that should be such a big problem as Agbonlahor will move to attack, with either Bannan or Albrighton to start on the wing.

Taking into account an air of uncertainty surrounding the club as well as the departure of Nolan, Barton and Jose Enrique, Newcastle fans feared for the outcome of this season, despite the arrivals of Marveaux, Cabaye, Obertan and Santon. The fears proved to be unfounded as the Magpies picked up no less than eight points from first four games, which was much more than they deserved. Alan Pardew’s side were pretty much outplayed in every one of their first four games and especially in the clash with newly promoted QPR, when Rangers missed several glorious opportunities to score. The players, nevertheless, enter this match in high spirits, but unless they show some improvement at Villa Park, their unbeaten run will come to an end. New signings David Santon is out for a month with a knee problem, while Hatem Ben Arfa has resumed full training but is unlikely to play.

Conclusion

Aston Villa look really good at the moment and the players are clearly benefiting from the newly found confidence under Alex McLeish. Newcastle clearly have problems on the travels, even though their latest results would suggest otherwise, so this is a clear home win for me.

Verdict: Home win Aston Villa (1)

Best Odds: 1/1

Bookmaker: William Hill