Merry Christmas everybody! We hope you’re having a beautiful time with family and friends and want you a cheerful and wholesome 2025.
Boxing Day soccer is sort of upon us and Newcastle United want to make it four-wins on the spin after three convincing wins in opposition to Leicester, Brentford and Ipswich in league and cup.
It’s been the right response to that 4–2 defeat at Brentford earlier this month and a run that’s bought us again in a powerful place; the gamers look assured once more, Eddie Howe has discovered solutions to our issues at each ends of the pitch, we’re into the semi-finals of the league cup and now sit simply two factors from fifth.
Issues are wanting up, however we’ll need to be at it in our last two video games of 2024, as we face a house conflict with Aston Villa – a top-six rival we may leapfrog with a win – adopted by a visit to Man Utd on Monday.
Eddie Howe’s pre-match quotes
Howe on our festive fixtures – “(We’ve bought) each motive for us to be enthusiastic about these video games. I’ve been actually happy with how we now have performed in current video games, and I feel we have to take that into the following week. We’ve got some good video games on paper for everybody to assault and revel in.”
“If you end up enjoying at dwelling over the festive interval, these video games are good issues to be part of so, yeah, we’re wanting ahead to the sport. While you carry out and play nicely, you need the video games to come back to you.”
Howe on Unai Emery’s Aston Villa – “We had two good video games in opposition to Aston Villa final season. This shall be a very good problem for us.
“I feel they’ve good depth of their squad, they’ve some actually good gamers. Their fashion could be very tough to play in opposition to – (they’re) very nicely coached, very nicely drilled.”
Joelinton is again from a ban, however Nick Pope (knee), Callum Wilson (hamstring), Emil Krafth (collarbone) and Jamaal Lascelles (ACL) stay out. Sven Botman is getting nearer however this one could come too quickly.
Fabian Schar and Sandro Tonali come into this on 4 yellow playing cards, that means yet one more and so they’ll be banned for our journey to Man Utd on Monday evening.
For Villa, it’ll be attention-grabbing to see if Ollie Watkins returns to Emery’s XI after he was benched for his or her 2-1 win over Man Metropolis on Saturday.
(4-3-3): Dubravka – Livramento, Schar, Burn, Corridor – Bruno, Tonali, Joelinton – Murphy, Isak, Gordon.
For just a few weeks now, I’ve tipped Howe to rotate barely and produce Trippier in at right-back, however it appears he’s sticking by his again 4 and in no rush to present Livramento a relaxation, which fits me in opposition to a harmful Villa facet.
Nonetheless, I do assume there’ll be a change in midfield. A rusty Willock didn’t actually seize his probability regardless of us dominating Ipswich final weekend, so I feel we’ll see Joelinton again from his again and straight into that left-sided midfield slot.
Villa had been very good in beating Man Metropolis final weekend and have athletes who may hassle Schar and Burn in Duran, Watkins and Rogers.
Nonetheless, we now have Alexander Isak – one of the best striker within the Premier League for me – the most effective on the left in Anthony Gordon and a midfield that’s lastly discovered steadiness.
I feel that midfield battle shall be key and consider Bruno, Tonali Joelinton would possibly simply outclass the likes of Kamara, Onana and Tielemans in a good however valuable 2-1 win that includes an Anthony Gordon objective for good measure.
Prediction: Newcastle 2-1 Aston Villa
Howay the lads!