Newcastle 0-0 Aston Villa
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Both of these two are waiting to pounce on that top four...
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Here come the teams!
It's been a deadly December for Newcastle, they have found their best form. And Villa? Well, they've won four of their last five in the Premier League.
This is the pick of the Boxing Day games isn't it? Aren't we lucky.
Isak can't stop scoring...
Four games. Six goals. Red hot Isak.
WATCH: Man City drop points again!
Manchester City have been held once again as they drew 1-1 with Everton at home in the early kick-off this Boxing Day.
That is one win in 13 games across all competitions for the champions.
These two teams will certainly be eyeing a top four spot now this season with City in such a mess...
Bruno vs Tielemans a key battle...
Sky Sports' Lewis Jones:
"Really looking forward to this. Could be a Christmas cracker, you know?
"So many talented footballers on show, especially in central areas where this game will be won and lost. Youri Tielemans against Bruno Guimaraes in there will be a great watch. Both very classy. Both very spikey.
"Teams have headed back down the tunnel following the warm-ups. Almost time for business."
WATCH: Ipswich 0-4 Newcastle
This was the Alexander Isak show...
WATCH: Aston Villa 2-1 Man City
Villa were back to their ferocious best last weekend...
Trippier makes first start since October
Kieran Trippier makes his first start since October to replace Tino Livramento, who isn’t in the Newcastle squad. Eddie Howe looks to keep momentum going after three straight wins.
Livramento is out due to illness.
Unai Emery is a football journalists dream right now. He names an unchanged Villa side.
Aston Villa team news
Team to face Newcastle: Martinez, Cash, Konsa, Pau, Digne, Kamara, Onana, Tielemans, McGinn, Rogers, Duran
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Newcastle team news
Team to face Aston Villa: Dubravka, Trippier, Schar, Burn, Hall, Tonali, Bruno, Joelinton, Murphy, Isak, Gordon
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Jones Knows: Tielemans assist at 4/1 stands out
Sky Sports' betting expert Jones Knows:
"Game of the day material this one, involving two top teams on the back of impressive results. They'll both be hoping to motor towards the top four spots over the next few months as one looks up for grabs with Manchester City's demise, Tottenham's troubles and Manchester United's mediocrity.
"If Villa play with their same swagger in midfield as they did against Manchester City then the 11/4 with Sky Bet on an away win could turn out to be a cracking bet.
"The axis of Amadou Onana and Boubacar Kamara with Youri Tielemans playing advanced worked a charm with Tielemans especially flourishing in that role. His output this season has been excellent - he's got six assists already and Bukayo Saka and Cole Palmer have created more chances than him this season (39).
"It's 4/1 with Sky Bet he grabs another assist."
SCORE PREDICTION: 1-2
Premier League Predictions and best bets: Nottingham Forest to turn heat up on Ange Postecoglou and Spurs
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Do not forget folks that you can watch highlights of this afternoon's clash, as well as all of today's Premier League games, shortly after full time on both the Sky Sports app and website...
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Hello and welcome!
Eddie Howe has found the formula at Newcastle again - they are a team in hot form.
Three wins from their last three games, scoring 11 goals in the process and it's given many fans hope on Tyneside that a successful season is on the cards.
This will test their mettle though.
Unai Emery's Aston Villa roared back to their best against Manchester City last time out.
This should be fun. Stay with us for all the team news, match updates and analysis.
The 2024 awards - the Essential review of the footballing year
As we count down to the end of a memorable year in football, relive the last 12 months in the Premier League and beyond as Sky Sports football journalists Ron Walker, Ben Grounds and Sam Blitz dish out the awards for the best and the worst of 2024.
Who's been top of the tree, who's been the surprise package... And who's been the biggest disappointment? Get the discussion started around the Christmas table in the company of Sky Sports.
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Emery wants more from Rogers
Villa have not enjoyed their travels of late, having lost each of their last four Premier League games on the road, and Thursday provides a stern test.
Emery added: “When I arrived here, my thoughts were that it is the most difficult league. A lot of teams have capacity, with good players, good coaches and good history.
“There are a lot of teams now getting more points than normal. Those points they are getting is because the quality of the teams and players is very high.
“The league is a very interesting league, very motivating for us, each match how we can get points and be better. Now we are sixth, we are trying to focus each match, be consistent.
“We are feeling better at home, but away, it is completely different.”
Morgan Rogers continues to impress for Villa this term and that was emphasised with a goal and assist in their weekend win over City.
Emery added: “I am very demanding with him, with the team, with myself, but with Morgan, because he is very important for us.
“I need his performance every match we are playing, with different objectives as well. He has a lot of responsibility in my idea, style, and of course I am trying to push him a lot. I am very happy with him, but I want more from him.”
Emery wary of ‘very difficult’ challenge
Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has set his sights on the “very difficult” challenge against Newcastle on Boxing Day.
Villa beat Premier League champions Manchester City on Saturday to give them a fourth win from five games in all competitions.
But they will travel to St James’ Park against a side who are currently enjoying a good spell of their own.
Newcastle will go into Thursday’s match following back-to-back 4-0 league victories over Leicester and Ipswich and Eddie Howe’s team also did the double over Villa last season.
Emery said: “Very difficult, because I think now they are in good form, and of course they played two years ago in the Champions League. Their objective is clearly to be in Europe.
“He (Howe) was doing a fantastic job with Bournemouth. Always, his teams are more or less dynamic teams, intensity, they like to play with the ball possession and being aggressive in attack, attacking with a lot of players.
“They beat us last year two times, and of course I respect them a lot. It is a very strong stadium for them, difficult for the opponent.
“They are being successful at home. They have lost some matches, but they are performing very well and winning a lot of matches. It is going to be very difficult. I respect the coach, I respect the players, I respect the club.”
Joelinton set to return against Villa
Howe hopes to have midfielder Joelinton, who suffered facial injuries during the 3-1 Carabao Cup quarter-final win over Brentford, back from suspension after he sat out Saturday’s 4-0 league victory at Ipswich for a fixture which has served his club well in recent seasons.
Villa have not won at St James’ Park since April 2005 – the day Lee Bowyer and Kieron Dyer were sent off for fighting each other after Steven Taylor had already been dismissed – a run of 16 games of which they have lost 10.
However, Howe is taking nothing for granted against Unai Emery’s side, who beat City 2-1 at the weekend.
He said: “The way Unai gets his teams to play, their style is very difficult to play against, very well coached, very well drilled. We expect a good game.”
Howe not putting limits on season objectives
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe is refusing to consider the Premier League’s top six a “closed shop” as they attempt to break back into it.
The Magpies gatecrashed the upper reaches of the league table two seasons ago when they surged to a fourth-placed finish, a feat matched by Aston Villa at the end of the last campaign.
Spending regulations have presented both clubs with fresh challenges as they seek to remain among the big boys – Howe’s men could only manage seventh last season, their first back in the Champions League for two decades – but the head coach will not place any limits on his team.
He said: “I never see anything as a closed shop. It’s our job to try and achieve the most that we can and put no barriers on our levels or our expectations of ourselves internally and see what happens.”
Newcastle and Villa meet at St James’ Park on Boxing Day with the hosts sitting in eighth, two points behind the sixth-placed visitors with reigning champions Manchester City separating them and traditional powers Tottenham and Manchester United in the bottom half.
Asked if he believed “forces elsewhere” did not want to see the two clubs challenging the established order, Howe said with a smile: “I’m sure there’s people that don’t want that to happen again.
“But the beauty of the Premier League this year is that you never quite know what’s going to happen. Teams find it difficult to string consistent runs of results together – not just us.
“We have seen Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth and loads of teams have really strong seasons. The level of the Premier League has been really tight this year between all teams.
“I don’t think there’s a lot of difference between the top and bottom sides and that’s testament to the quality of every team in the league. There are no easy games and that makes a great spectacle.
“It makes a great league because you never know what’s going to happen. You never know what twists and turns are ahead, so it’s up to all of us to try and break into whatever group of teams, try to upset people and achieve success.”
Can Isak continue rich vein of form?
That dream might have seemed fanciful a few weeks ago with the Magpies enduring a stuttering campaign, but back-to-back league wins over Leicester and Ipswich either side of a Carabao Cup quarter-final victory against Brentford have rekindled hope.
Howe’s men will head into their Boxing Day clash with Aston Villa on Tyneside sitting five points adrift of the top four and with high hopes of improving significantly upon that if Isak in particular continues in his rich vein of form.
The frontman scored 25 goals last term after an injury-hit first campaign in England and after a slow start to the current season, is threatening to break the 20 barrier again to further justify the faith invested in him by Howe at the age of just 22.
Asked if he had been surprised by how quickly the Swede has taken to English football, Howe replied: “For that sum of money, I don’t think you’re looking at a development player, you’re looking at a player that you feel can come in straight away and hit the ground running.
“He’s had a brilliant couple of seasons for us and he looks like he’s hitting his best rhythm now. He’s such a valuable player for us.”
Meanwhile, Howe played down speculation that goalkeeper Martin Dubravka, who is currently deputising for the injured Nick Pope, is close to agreeing a move to Saudi Pro League club Al Shabab.
He said: “That’s news to me. I’ve been aware of the rumours and the talk about that deal, but I don’t think it’s got to that point.”