Football
Newcastle United vs Aston Villa Preview: Tips, Odds and Prediction – Dec 26, 2024
SportsBoom previews a match taking place at St. James’ Park between Newcastle United and Aston Villa, two teams which are currently performing below par with the quality they have in their squads and their exploits from last season considered. The match is a Boxing Bay encounter set for 4pm in the afternoon and Premier League betting fans are already on the lookout for the best odds, tips and predictions.
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Sandro Tonali//Getty Images
Newcastle vs Aston Villa Preview: Meeting of The Underperformers
Aston Villa travel to Newcastle on Thursday afternoon hoping to rectify their poor travels in the Premier league, while Eddie Howe would be hoping to secure consecutive wins at homes for his team.
The teams in question are performing rather poorly this season, but this fixture has served up some entertaining encounters in the past.
Newcastle have dominated the fixture with high score wins against their opponents, winning four in their last five meetings. The visitors only won one of those encounters which produced eighteen goals and a dominant home record for the team in black and white strips.
Pre-Game Odds and Win Probability: Newcastle Clear Favourites
Home: 91/10 (1.91) 52%
Draw: 141/50 (3.82) 26.2%
Away: 271/100 (3.71) 27%
*Odds courtesy of N1Bet, subject to change
Head-to-Head record
Last 5 meetings (Premier League)
30/01/24 Aston Villa 1 Newcastle 3
12/08/23 Newcastle 5 Aston Villa 1
15/04/23 Aston Villa 3 Newcastle 0
29/10/22 Newcastle 4 Aston Villa 0
13/02/22 Newcastle 1 Aston Villa 0
Newcastle Current Form- WLDDL
It’s been a shaky run for the Magpies and a turnaround is needed at home in this fixture. Only five points were secured in their recent five games with ten goals scored. We can perhaps say they have been unlucky, but they can do better by conceding less in the same breath.
Against Brentford they chased the lead twice in a first half that ended 2-2, but eventually gave it away in the second, losing 4-2.
A similar trend was witnessed in their game with Liverpool in which they took the lead two times until Mohamad Salah secured the lead for his side, but they were able to clinch a draw through a late 90th-minute goal by Fabian Schar.
Alexander Isak//Getty Images
Key Players to Watch
- Alexander Isak: Their danger man upfront will be looking to increase his goal tally to double figures, which he is just short of by three goals at the time of writing. Isak has been the go-to man for Newcastle to get the ball in the back of the net and he is slowly regaining his goal-scoring form. He is good with his head and also solid with both feet, a classic striker resembling those of yesteryear. Definitely someone to look out for in this game.
- Jacob Murphy: Having scored two goals against Leicester City, Murphy will come into this game with his tail up playing from the right side of their 4-3-3 lineup. He will certainly be also looking to improve his assists tally, and his efforts might just be what Isak needs to continue his goal-scoring form.
- Joelinton: The hard-tackling Brazilian plays a prominent role in the heart of his team’s midfield and his prolific work rate will come in handy against a team that has hard-running wingers and probably the best dribbler in the league, Mohammed Kudus. His disciplinary record is a bit of a concern with five yellow cards to his name but is a reflection of the sacrifices he makes for the team.
Newcastle News
Newcastle are said to put in a £25M bid for PSV’s danger man, Johan Bakayoko, and Eddie Howe has stated that he does not want to lose any of his players in January.
Aston Villa Current Form- LWWLD
A resurgence seemed to be on the horizon for Unai Emery’s men before a 2-1 loss to a team that’s currently fourth place on the log, exactly where Villa finished last season, securing them a Champions League qualification spot after years of not featuring in the tournament. They have done well so far in Europe, but squad rotation has hammered their Premier League performances.
Besides Emiliano Martinez, the rest of the squad has been rotated regularly to freshen up their legs. This has affected them negatively, particularly in their last four away games in which they are on a four-game losing streak.
They lost 2-1 to Nottingham Forest, 3-0, 2-0 and 4-1 to Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur. Their travels are therefore a cause for concern, something Emery has to look into with a keen eye.
Key Players to Watch
- Emiliano Martinez: The Argentine goalie has yet to register a clean sheet in the Premier League in sixteen appearances but his presence in goal will give his team some confidence against a team that has been free-scoring in this fixture. On a good day, he is a key player.
- Ollie Watkins: Watkins’ last goal at the time of writing was a penalty conversion in a 3-1 win over Brentford and hasn’t been able to find the back of the net in open play since then. Coming into this one with ten goal contributions overall, the English forward will be a player to look out for with a goal or an assist very possible from him on the day.
- Youri Tielemens: His resoluteness in midfield will come in handy for his team on the day, covering in defence and making surges forward. The number of yellow cards he’s received so far speaks to the robustness he puts in breaking play against his teams’ opponents and against Newcastle, he will definitely put in a proper shift.
Aston Villa News
With the winter transfer season on the horizon, Villa are rumoured to be keeping track of Nurnberg youngster Stefanos Tzimas, and a bid has been made for a Manchester City Academy graduate.
Predicted Line-ups
Newcastle: 4-3-3
Pope, Hall, Burn, Schar, Livramento, Joelinton, Guimaraes, Tonali, Barnes, Isak, Murphy
Aston Villa: 4-2-3-1
Martinez, Konsa, Torres, Mings, Digne, Kamara, Tielemens, McGinn, Bailey, Rogers, Watkins
Suggested Bets
Here are our expert suggested bets for football betting enthusiasts.
Both Teams to Score – Yes: Their two most recent encounters in the Premier League resulted in this market and both have been involved in a lot of games where they scored and conceded in their last five fixtures. The likelihood of this happening is very high with that consideration in mind. (61/100 with N1Bet), (3/5 with Betway).
Total Goals – Over 1.5: The historical data indicates that this fixture produces over 1.5 goals as four of their five most recent encounters were high-scoring and saw a total of 18 goals. (21/100 with N1Bet), (1/5 with Betway).
Team 1 Total Goals – Over 1.5: Newcastle have scored more than one goal against Villa three times in this encounter recently. And when they did, the scores were as high as 5-1, 3-1 and 4-0. At SportsBoom, we expect them to score more than one goal on Boxing Day, especially considering the high-scoring nature of Premier League fixtures on this day. (19/25 with N1Bet), (79/100 with Betway).
Value Bets
Both Halves More Than 1.5 Goals – Yes: Four of the last five games between these two teams have seen high-scoring results. Some of them had 5-1 and 3-1 scores, with more than one goal in either half, so due to the historically high-scoring nature of this match, the market resulting is very possible. (63/20 with N1Bet),
Anytime Goalscorer – Alexander Isak: The Swede danger man has found the back of the net seven times for his team this season and will look to continue to pick up where he left off in his last home game for the Magpies where he scored one and assisted as well. If the supply is great on the day, he will surely find the back of the net. (13/5 with N1Bet).
Team 2 to Score in Both Halves – Yes: Against Liverpool, Brentford and West Ham, Eddie Howe’s men conceded a goal in either half and these are very recent games. On a good day, Aston Villa with danger men like Ollie Watkins can easily find the back of the net in either half, so this market is likely. (61/20 with N1Bet), (17/10 with Betway)
Prediction: Newcastle Win and Over 2.5 Goals
Newcastle United’s dominance over the years has formed our bias and as such we foresee them winning this game without a shadow of doubt. Goals will be a fixture in this match, with just under twenty scored in recent fixtures and a result of Over 2.5 goals in four of them.
Based in Johannesburg, South Africa, Jimmy holds a Diploma in Journalism and Media Studies. He’s a passionate sports enthusiast with broad knowledge across various disciplines.
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