English Premier
2025-08-16 - Aston Villa vs Newcastle United
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Saturday 16th August 2025 - Kick Off 12:30pm
This game is live on TV
Aston Villa
Over the last couple of years, Aston Villa have been one of the stronger clubs in the Premier League who have come close to falling foul of the PSR rules set up. Missing out on the Champions League in heartbreaking fashion at the end of last season has perhaps hindered the team from making the kind of investment that Unai Emery may have expected in this summer window and there may be some frustration amongst the fanbase.
Last season was a memorable one in the main and Aston Villa perhaps came closest to beating Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League when having the eventual Winners on the ropes in the Quarter Final Second Leg. However, they finished 6th in the Premier League on goal difference to miss out on a return to that competition. The Villans finished the campaign with an 11-7-1 record at home and the manager will be looking to turn a few of those draws into victories to push back up the standings.
Aston Villa had won 8 of 9 Premier League games played and were facing a Manchester United team that had just lost the Europa League Final, but were beaten 2-0 at Old Trafford on the final day. After drawing 2-2 with Liverpool back in February, Aston Villa won their last 8 games at Villa Park in all competitions.
Morgan Rogers is a doubt having picked up a knock in pre-season, but fans will be hopeful of his involvement. Ross Barkley is expected to miss out and Emiliano Martinez is suspended. New signing Evann Guessand arrives with a big reputation, but may have to begin on the bench.
Newcastle United
They ended decades of waiting by winning the League Cup and Eddie Howe guided Newcastle United into the Champions League for the second time in three years. The fans would have been entering the summer with a spring in the step, but it has been a horrible off-season for the entire club and Newcastle United have to find a way to rally together ahead of the Premier League kick off.
Alexander Isak's desire to leave the club has been casting a shadow over St James' Park, especially the manner in which the star striker has gone about trying to force a move away. The frustration has also been seeing Newcastle United fail to bring in a number of the targets they had in mind during this summer transfer window and Eddie Howe and the management staff have a tough task in front of them. The Magpies finished 5th in the table last season and building on that will be challenging without reinforcements being signed before the window closes.
Newcastle United almost fell over the line to return to the Champions League having won 1 of their last 4 Premier League games and losing the last 2 to conclude the season. The side struggled for consistency away from home over the course of the campaign and Newcastle United have picked up a single point from the last 3 away Premier League fixtures.
Joe Willock is expected to return after the September international break, while Anthony Gordon is hoping to be available. Anthony Elanga could make his debut for the club, but Alexander Isak is not going to be involved until his future has been determined. Malick Thiaw has been signed from Milan, but may not be quite ready to start.
Head to Head
Both Newcastle United and Aston Villa won home League fixtures against the other by three goal margins in the 2024/25 campaign.
Aston Villa have won 5 of their last 6 at Villa Park against The Magpies.
Prediction
These two clubs have both broken through and earned spots in the Champions League in the last three seasons, but the fans are not entirely happy with the PSR rules they feel are holding Newcastle United and Aston Villa backwards.
It has been relatively quiet summers for both and that is going to test two quality managers in Eddie Howe and Unai Emery.
There is a feeling that all of the business has not been concluded with the transfer window open through the remainder of the month.
The reality is that Newcastle United would have liked to have brought in new faces, but it has been a tough summer with a number of targets deciding they would prefer to play elsewhere. And all of that has been overshadowed by the Alexander Isak drama with the star striker looking to force a move away from St James' Park and reports suggesting that he has warned Newcastle United that he will not play for them again, no matter what.
Eddie Howe could have done without all of the noise around his club and he has clearly been frustrated during a tough pre-season.
Unai Emery is another who would have hoped Aston Villa were in a position to bring in some fresh faces, but missing out on the Champions League on the final day has really hurt the financial power of the club. At this moment they are trying to keep some key players, but Aston Villa may be forced to sell some just so Emery can perhaps make a signing or two to strengthen the team.
The home team will be hoping that Villa Park proves to be a fortress for them again this season as they look for another strong campaign. Morgan Rogers is going to be an important figure and Emery and the fans will be hoping he can be passed fit to take part in the opener on Saturday afternoon.
It does feel things are a bit calmer for Aston Villa ahead of the opening game and that could be key, especially as they have beaten Newcastle United in 5 of the last 6 games at Villa Park. The 4-1 win here in April snapped a run of 3 overall losses to The Magpies and Aston Villa's team can use the home fans to just power them forward with a team that will be well aware of what is expected from them.
Newcastle United may just rally together to show support for the manager and remind the rest of the League that they are more than just Alexander Isak. However, Anthony Gordon is another potential miss on Saturday and it could leave Newcastle United a touch short in the final third and that may give Aston Villa the edge.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Aston Villa 2-1 Newcastle United
