Aston Villa vs Newcastle LIVE commentary: Premier League’s in-form sides clash at Villa Park as top-four race intensifies

Aston Villa and Newcastle are two of the Premier League’s form teams and they clash this afternoon live on talkSPORT.

Both sides are well in the race for a top-four finish, and the Toon travel to Villa Park having won their last five league games, while Unai Emery’s men have been victorious in six of their last seven.

Emery turned down the Newcastle job last year after their takeover went through and Eddie Howe stepped in and hasn’t looked back.

But it’s unlikely that Emery is sad that he rejected the chance to go to St James’ Park as he has propelled the Villans into sixth, nine points off the top four.

A finish in the Champions League places might be beyond them this season, but they will want to stop the Toon’s run and have won their last three home games against Newcastle at Villa Park.

Aston Villa vs Newcastle: talkSPORT coverage

This Premier League clash is set to take place on Saturday, April 15.

Kick-off at Villa Park is scheduled for 12:30pm.

talkSPORT will have live coverage from Birmingham, with Reshmin Chowdhury serving as your presenter.

Commentary will then come from Clive Tyldesley and former England striker Dean Ashton.

To tune in to talkSPORT or talkSPORT 2 through the website, click HERE for the live stream.

You can also listen via the talkSPORT app, on DAB digital radio, through your smart speaker and on 1089 or 1053 AM.

Aston Villa vs Newcastle: Team news

The hosts have quite a few injury concerns, with Leon Bailey joining the list of absentees through a hamstring problem.

Matty Cash, Philippe Coutinho and Boubacar Kamara are all expected to miss this game, meaning Bertrand Traore, Alex Moreno and John McGinn are likely to keep their places.

Diego Carlos has finally returned from injury but hasn’t forced his way into the starting XI yet.

Meanwhile, Newcastle will be without Allan Saint-Maximin for this match after suffering a minor hamstring issue.

But Miguel Almiron could be in the matchday squad after returning to training earlier than anticipated.

Anthony Gordon will also be involved after his bust-up with Howe during the Brentford win was dealt with internally, and Callum Wilson will push for a start after three goals and an assist in his last three games.

Aston Villa vs Newcastle: What has been said?

Newcastle boss Howe on facing Villa: “It’s going to be a tough challenge for us.

“We’re going to have to get certain parts of our defensive structure right or they’ll give us big problems.

“Their form has been strong and consistent, so we know we’ll have to be better than we were in the first half at Brentford if we’re to get a positive result.”

Aston Villa vs Newcastle: Match facts

• Aston Villa have lost their last two Premier League matches against Newcastle United; before this, they had been seven games unbeaten against the Magpies (W3 D4).
• Following a 4-0 win over Aston Villa in October, Newcastle are looking for their first Premier League double over the Villans since the 2013-14 campaign under Alan Pardew.
• Since their return to the Premier League in 2019, Aston Villa have won all three of their home games against Newcastle by the same scoreline (2-0), with five of their six goals in these matches coming before half-time.
• Since Unai Emery’s first Premier League game in charge of Aston Villa in November, only Arsenal have picked up more points (42) and earned more wins (13) in the competition than the Villans (35 points, 11 wins). Villa have won their last four league games, last winning five in a row in the top-flight in April 1998 under John Gregory.
• Newcastle have won each of their last five Premier League games, three of which have been away from home. Only in October 1996 (4) and October 1994 (5) have the Magpies ever won four or more consecutive away games in the competition.
• Aston Villa have scored at least once in all 17 of their Premier League games under Unai Emery (30 goals overall). Only two managers have seen a side score in each of their first 18 matches of a spell in charge in the competition: Mike Walker with Norwich in 1992 and Carlo Ancelotti with Chelsea in 2009 (both first 18).
• Newcastle have conceded a goal from just 7.2% of their shots faced in the Premier League this season (21 goals conceded from 293 shots). It’s the Magpies’ lowest such ratio on record in a single campaign in the competition (since 2003-04), and the lowest for any side since Liverpool in 2018-19 (also 7.2%).
• Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins has scored in nine of his last 11 league appearances (9 goals) and has scored in 12 different Premier League games this season overall. Only three players – Christian Benteke in 2012-13 (15), Juan Pablo Ángel in 2003-04 (13), and Dwight Yorke in both 1996-97 (13) and 1995-96 (14) – have ever scored in more different games in a season in the competition for Villa.
• Bertrand Traoré has scored in his last two Premier League games, with both of these appearances coming as a substitute. The only Aston Villa player to score in three consecutive substitute appearances in the competition is Julian Joachim, who did so in the 2000-01 campaign.
• Alexander Isak has scored in each of Newcastle’s last three Premier League away games (four goals); only Peter Beardsley in December 1993 has ever scored in four consecutive away appearances in the competition for the Magpies.