Newcastle United are gearing up to face Aston Villa at St James’ Park on Boxing Day.
The Magpies are looking to make it three Premier League wins in a row on Thursday with the hope that Alexander Isak and Jacob Murphy can keep their exceptional run of form going.
It’s the first game at St James’ Park since Newcastle beat Brentford to reach the Carabao Cup semi-final.
Villa boss Unai Emery faced the press on Tuesday ahead of the game but things could’ve looked a lot different for the Europa League-winning manager.
Newcastle nearly appointed Emery in 2021 before the Spaniard turned down the move which led to Eddie Howe’s appointment.
Emery has since made an admission that would’ve been on his side if he joined Newcastle three years ago.
Unai Emery the Arsenal Head Coach greets Eddie Howe the Bouremouth Manager during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and AFC Bournemouth ...
Photo by David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Unai Emery says Newcastle’s setup under Eddie Howe has really stood out
It’s no secret that Newcastle’s passionate fans make getting a good result difficult for any visiting team.
Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk talked about St James’ Park struggles due to the atmosphere at the ground which spreads onto the pitch. It was evident in Newcastle’s 3-3 draw against Liverpool earlier in December.
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In Emery’s pre-match press conference which was published on Villa’s website, he was asked about Howe and Newcastle.
“Very difficult, because I think now they are in good form,” Emery said.
“Of course, they played two years ago in the Champions League. Their objective is clearly to be in Europe. Fantastic. 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 like as well to do a lot of duels on the field, man to man. They beat us last year two times, and of course, I respect them a lot.
“It is going to be very difficult because we know in Newcastle with their supporters, it is a very strong stadium for them, difficult for the opponent. More or less, 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.
“It’s our big motivation on Thursday to play there.”
Villa come into the game with confidence having played Champions League football this season and picking up a big win against defending Premier League champions Manchester City on Saturday.
Unai Emery’s record against Newcastle
Emery has faced Newcastle on six occasions with both Villa and Arsenal. At the Gunners, he won all three games he played against Newcastle and beat them 3-0 in the 2022/23 season at Villa.
Last season, the Magpies did the double over Emery’s side including the 5-1 opening day which saw Sandro Tonali score his first goal and a four-game losing streak against the Spaniard snapped.
Newcastle completed the double with a 3-1 win in January thanks to a Fabian Schar brace and Alex Moreno’s own goal.
Newcastle have a chance to continue their positive run against Villa on Thursday and leapfrog them in the Premier League table as both sides look to play European football next season.
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