Aston Villa v Newcastle: Magpies can thwart Villans | OneFootball

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Villa in the hunt for trophies

Aston Villa hosted Newcastle on the opening day of the season, the two sides playing out a 0-0 draw.

It's hard to believe now that Unai Emery's men didn't manage a single goal in their first four Premier League games and had just three points on the board after five matches.

Fast forward to the present day and Villa sit third in the Premier League - seven points behind leaders Arsenal and five clear of fourth-placed Manchester United - after beating Brighton 1-0 on Wednesday night.

Also this season, they've finished second in the 36-team Europa League table after seven wins out of eight and booked their place in the fourth round of the FA Cup via a 2-1 win at Tottenham - talking of which...

Turning point for Magpies?

Is there a parallel universe where Spurs beat Newcastle on Tuesday and it was Magpies boss Eddie Howe who was sacked rather than Tottenham's Thomas Frank?

We'll never know but Howe was having to answer lots of awkward questions after a run of three straight defeats, including a 3-1 loss at Manchester City which ended their hold on the Carabao Cup.

But the interrogation stopped - for now - after Newcastle scored a 68th-minute winner at Spurs via Jacob Ramsey to put the final nail in Frank's coffin.

Howe perhaps dodged another bullet in the third round of the FA Cup when it took a last-gasp Anthony Gordon penalty to force extra-time against Bournemouth at St James' Park. The game eventually ended in a thrilling 3-3 draw before Newcastle won the shootout 7-6.

Newcastle may want it more

Aston Villa, as expected, are favourites at 6/5 although perhaps a few weeks ago when they couldn't stop winning at home, the hosts would have been odds-on.

Newcastle are 2/1 to win in 90 minutes while The Draw at the end of regulation time is 13/5.

The key is priorities. Villa have a genuine shot at winning the Europa League and while just about everyone is ruling them out of a title challenge, they still need to protect their league position. They have a clear advantage in third spot but any major slide could see Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool all overtake them.

There's also a feeling that they've dipped a little in recent times. Villa Park has been an absolute fortress for most of the season but in their last three home games, Villa have lost 1-0 to both Everton and Brentford and edged past out-of-form Brighton via a late own goal.

Yes, Newcastle's away form is patchy but the Spurs win was a boost and let's not forget that they also managed a 1-1 away draw against European champions PSG. The French side has since won both their starts by a combined 7-1.

After ending their long wait for a trophy last season when winning the Carabao Cup, Newcastle will be hungry for more and, being realistic, that won't come in the Champions League.

So it comes down to the FA Cup. They were on the brink of elimination against Bournemouth but stayed alive and I think they can get through this tie too.

Newcastle To Qualify is one option but the 11/10 seems a little short. So, instead, I'm going to take the Draw at 13/5 in the belief that the Magpies muddle through after the game goes beyond regulation time. To be honest, in terms of the bet, we won't really care what happens if it's a stalemate at full-time.

English FA Cup: Aston Villa v Newcastle (Match Odds)

Saturday 14 February, 5.45pm

Turn to Thiaw

Malick Thiaw is a decent option if looking to play the shots markets.

The German defender slid home the opener against Spurs but only after his initial headed attempt had been saved. And it's the header element I want to play.

So far this season, he's taken 21 shots in 23 matches and 13 of those have been headers.

He's clearly an aerial threat so Thiaw to have 1 or more headed shots on target at 7/2 is worth a go. If the focus is on trying to stop giant Dan Burn, Thiaw can sometimes benefit.