Newcastle vs Aston Villa: The Chase for a Return to the Premier League Heats Up
Published February 20, 2017 by Sol FH
Newcastle takes on Aston Villa at St. James Park tonight at 20:00 and the Magpies just a few wins away from a return to the Premier League.
A big match tonight at St. James as the Magpies host Villa and are looking to extend their impressive home record against them. Newcastle have not lost a home math to Aston Villa since April 2005, and with a return to the Premier League on the line, they are unlikely to do so tonight. Even at home, Villa have not been in good form against Newcastle, winless since April 2001 with six draws and five losses. Villa are winless in their last 8 matches in the Championship with six losses and have only earned 1 point since the beginning of 2017.
Steve Bruce will need to make some big changes if they are going to improve on their dreadful run in 2017. Villa have lost seven games in their last eight in all competitions and have lost ground in the league standings. Now in 17th place with 36 points and things could get even worse before the season is over.
Newcastle is on the other side of the things. The league leaders are in first place in the league standings with Brighton just one point down, but if they were to lose tonight, Brighton would be up by 1 point, making tonight's game very important. They have won 14 points out of a possible 18 in 2017. They have the best attack and defense statistics in the league right now and should easily have their way with Villa tonight. They will need to win without Isaac Hayden, Vurnon Anita and Rolando Aarons, each with an injury. To make things a whole lot better however, to scorer Dwight Gayle is back in the lineup and fully recovered. He had scored 20 goals in 21 Championship matches and what a return it would be to see him hit the back of the net again tonight.
The Championship Betting Markets
As always, bet365 Sports is offering some of the most attractive and competitive odds online. The UK-based online sportsbook favors Newcastle, rightly so, at 1.60, while Villa are well behind at 6.50.
