Newcastle vs Aston Villa: Preview, predictions and lineups | OneFootball

Newcastle are at home for the festivities as they face Aston Villa in what's set to be a cracking Boxing Day Premier League clash.

The Magpies remain a stern force at St. James' Park and they head into Thursday's game with the wind in their sails. Eddie Howe's side have scored 16 times in their previous five outings and a December upsurge means they sit eighth in the table at Christmas. A Carabao Cup semi-final with Arsenal also beckons in the new year.

Aston Villa followed in Newcastle's footsteps by enjoying a return to the Champions League following their fourth-place finish last season. Unai Emery's side have their work cut out if they're to repeat their 2023/24 performance, but a 2-1 victory which compounded Manchester City's misery on Saturday means they're up to sixth in the table.

Surprise package Nottingham Forest are just three points better off than the Villans in fourth, but Newcastle will usurp their Boxing Day opponents with another win on Tyneside.

Here is 90min's guide to this enthralling Premier League duel.

Newcastle vs Aston Villa H2H Record (Last Five Games)

Current form (all competitions)

How to watch Newcastle vs Aston Villa on TV - UK and US

Newcastle team news

Sven Botman is closing in on a return from an ACL tear / James Gill - Danehouse/GettyImages

Sven Botman is on the comeback trail from an ACL tear having enjoyed run-outs for the U21s, but the centre-back isn't expected to make his full senior return until the new year.

Jamaal Lascelles is also recovering from a similar injury, but the Englishman is not quite as far along in his rehabilitation.

Joelinton and Nick Pope are both doubts after missing Saturday's win at Portman Road, while Callum Wilson and Emil Krafth remain on the sidelines due to respective hamstring and collarbone injuries.

Howe should retain the front three which has fired on all cylinders over the past month. Anthony Gordon has been a consistent presence down the right, Alexander Isak bagged a hat-trick at the weekend, while Jacob Murphy has suddenly found his scoring boots after a slow start to the season.

Newcastle predicted lineup vs Aston Villa

Newcastle predicted lineup vs Aston Villa (4-4-1-1): Pope; Livramento, Schar, Burn, Hall; Guimaraes, Tonali, Willock; Murphy, Isak, Gordon.

Aston Villa team news

Jhon Duran deserves to keep his place in the team / James Gill - Danehouse/GettyImages

The visitors' injury list is considerably shorter than Newcastle's with Jacob Murphy the only concern heading into this Boxing Day bout. The Villa midfielder is nursing a hamstring injury and is unlikely to return on Tyneside.

Emery could opt for a similar starting XI from Saturday's 2-1 victory over the champions. The Villa boss used Boubacar Kamara and Amadou Onana as a steely pivot to free up Youri Tielemans with the ploy working a treat against the Cityzens.

Jhon Duran deserves to retain his place up top after scoring amid an excellent all-round performance at the weekend.

Aston Villa predicted lineup vs Newcastle (4-3-3): Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Digne; Kamara, Onana, Tielemans; McGinn, Duran, Rogers.

Newcastle vs Aston Villa score prediction

This may be a 3pm kick-off, but the fixture won't succumb to the blackout in the UK with Amazon Prime streaming all Boxing Day outings.

Newcastle are always high-octane on the big occasion at St. James' Park, and they're facing a Villa side who found their optimal groove at the weekend. Their performance against the champions was superb, but performing at that level in this environment is another challenge entirely.

A purring Magpie attack will back themselves against an aggressive Villa defensive line, but this contest will be won or lost in the middle of the park. These engine rooms have stellar balance and have been key to their teams' recent successes.

All three results are on the table here, but we'll give the edge to the in-form hosts on Tyneside.