Aston Villa fans would have hardly believed the Villains would be in sixth place when Steven Gerrard was sacked in October.
Now, Aston Villa are in pole position to land a place in Europe for next season under the guidance of manager Unai Emery.
On Saturday, Aston Villa will welcome Newcastle United to Villa Park for the lunchtime kick-off in the Premier League. It is a top-six clash between two teams that were outsiders in recent campaigns.
Newcastle will begin the weekend in third place. The Magpies are on a five-match winning streak in the league. Aston Villa are one point ahead of seventh-place Brighton. They are on a four-match winning streak and looking to stay unbeaten.
Aston Villa and Newcastle United met 54 times previously in the Premier League. Newcastle lead the head-to-head series with the Villains, posting a record of 24W-16D-11L.
Newcastle won each of the last two matches against Aston Villa. The Villains were outscored 5-0 in those two fixtures. Earlier this season, Newcastle romped to a 4-0 win over Aston Villa at St James’ Park. The win came between Gerrard’s sacking and Emery’s arrival from Villarreal.
Despite Newcastle leading the head-to-head record against Villa in the Premier League, they do not play well away at Villa Park. Aston Villa are unbeaten in their last five home matches versus Newcastle.
Emery and Howe have managed against each other three times. Emery won all three matches versus Howe. Those games came during Emery’s stint with Arsenal. Meanwhile, Howe was the manager of Bournemouth.
While Emery faced Newcastle just three times in his career, all three games ended as wins, Howe managed against Aston Villa seven times. Howe has a record of five wins, zero draws, and two defeats all-time against Aston Villa.
Newcastle rebounded from their poor form in February and League Cup loss to Manchester United. The Magpies picked up 15 points from the last 18 points available and are on a five-match winning streak.
Aston Villa did slightly better than Newcastle in their last six matches. The Villains picked up 16 points from the last 18 points on offer. The defence conceded just two goals during those six games. Villa won each of their last three home matches. Meanwhile, Newcastle are on a three-match away win streak.