Newcastle United host Aston Villa at St James’ Park on Sunday in Match Day 23.
The Magpies sit eighth in the table after a 0-0 draw away to Wolverhampton Wanderers ended a three-match Premier League winning
run.
Despite that result, only three points separate Eddie Howe’s side from fourth place. Most promisingly for Sunday’s matchup, when playing at home, Newcastle have avoided defeat in their last eight league matches, scoring at least twice in each of those fixtures.
The Magpies returned to winning ways in midweek with a 3-0 Champions League victory over PSV Eindhoven. That result came with concerns, however, as Bruno Guimaraes was withdrawn before half-time with an ankle issue and his availability remains uncertain. Tino Livramento, Emil Krafth, Fabian Schar and Jacob Murphy remain sidelined, while Dan Burn and Will Osula are pushing to return.
Aston Villa, meanwhile, arrive 10 points clear of Newcastle and remain in the title conversation despite a recent home defeat to Everton.
Unai Emery’s side are winless in their last 17 league visits to St James’ Park and may be without John McGinn, Boubacar Kamara and Emiliano Martinez due to injury.
Here are some of Howe’s Wisdom Nuggets, courtesy of NUFC.co.uk
On Bruno’s fitness…
“We hope it is not serious. The extent of the injury is still unknown.
“He was reasonably positive after the game – he is the guy that will never rule anything out.
“We are going to give him every chance for this weekend. We will try and make the right decision with Bruno – he is a pivotal player.”
On Villa…
“They have had a great season so far. They have a clear way of playing and clear structures in their style.
“They have gone on a good run and found ways to win – as we know, that is hard to do at this level and in this league. Full credit to the coach and his players.
“We know this will be a really difficult game. It was really competitive when we met at the start of the season. Let’s hope we can bring our A game.”
On Kieran Trippier’s recent return to the side…
“Kieran is an unbelievable leader behind-the-scenes for us, a steadying and calming influence (and) a great communicator with the players.
“He’s got a lot of experience. He’s done well, especially on Wednesday night. I have been very pleased with him. A big challenge for us is to keep him in that rhythm.”
On Lewis Miley’s reaction to being handed the captain’s armband during the midweek win over PSV…
“Lewis is Lewis – he’s very relaxed and very calm, unphased. He has the ability to control his emotions and feelings.
“He has a lot of maturing and development in his game to come, but great early signs for him in his career so far.”
Howay!
- Date: Sunday, January 25th
- Kick-off: 14:00 BST / 9:00 EST
- Location: St. James’ Park, Newcastle (England)
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