Villa Park will play host to Newcastle for the opening weekend of the season. Unai Emery’s side will be welcoming the return of the season after ending the last campaign with European qualification.
The uncertainty around the attacking shape of Newcastle has cast a shadow of doubt over their season, but their work in the transfer market has left many fans comfortable with their immediate future.
In arguably the tie of the opening weekend, the battle at Villa Park is set to excite betting enthusiasts looking to make money on the game. Some highly recommended UK betting sites have it at 5/2 for a Villa win, but we here at NUFC blog have faith the lads can get a result here. Let’s break things down and look into why that is.
Preseason Signals & Club Momentum
Ollie Watkins has been central to the success at Villa, leading their attacking line and securing many valuable points for the club through his attacking prowess. His 18 league goals and seven assists are the sort of numbers Emery will be hoping he delivers again, but the aggressive attacking nature of Emery makes for a Villa side who demand your respect.
Newcastle spent most of their pre-season in Asia, but their lack of goals raised a few concerns. Harvey Barnes and Anthony Elanga have shown glimpses of danger in the final third, but their consistency leaves a lot to be desired.
Tactical Focus: High Press vs Transitional Threat
Aston Villa under the guise of Emery is fraught with an intense pressing aspect and an incredibly structured and cagey buildup. Matty Cash is a full-back invited to push higher up the field, while they look to overload the midfield and attempt to grab the tempo of the game there.
Interestingly, no side scored as much as they did after the 60th minute of the game. Whether this is down to a commitment and conditioned approach, it is worth noting.
For Newcastle, the question marks around their attacking options might see the coaching staff revert to a more closed and spatially aware model. Although, expect the likes of Anthony Gordon and Anthony Elanga to be given license to exploit the wide areas.
Player Duels to Watch
The pace of Watkins will inevitably ask questions of the Newcastle defensive line. Fabian Schar is likely to be tasked with managing the English forward and so the battle between pace and patience is one to keep an eye on.
If Newcastle opt to deploy Dan Burn in the wide channel as we saw a few times last season, the duel between himself and Leon Bailey would be particularly interesting. Bailey is a direct runner and if he is left one-vs-one with Burn, the latter’s lack of pace could be exposed on a grand scale.
What Pundits and Fans are Prediciting
For us, backing Aston Villa early to come away with the three points on offer is the approach. Backing that up with Ollie Watkins as an Anytime Goalscorer is not only a nod to the recent battles between these clubs, but also the generous odds available.
Given Emery’s side’s propensity for a late flourish, backing them to score last might be a shrewd side option.
Final Prediction
Home advantage, a comfortable and secure squad and superior pre-season displays all point toward the Villa win here. The vulnerability in Newcastle’s defensive ability and the question marks around their attacking options could lead to soem questions for our boys but i do feel we can get a draw here and that would be a good result away from home.
We are backing the hosts to come away with an impressive win here.
Prediction: Aston Villa 1-1 Newcastle
expect the likes of Miguel Almiron ???
Jo Q(Quote)