Aston Villa take on Newcastle United in the Premier League this afternoon
Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins start for Aston Villa
Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins start for Aston Villa
Unai Emery has named his Aston Villa starting XI to face Newcastle United in the Premier League.
It’s the club’s first game of the new league campaign, and they’ll be looking to start strongly in front of the home fans at Villa Park.
Emery will be without the suspended Emi Martínez, while Andrés García and Ross Barkley are both sidelined. Leon Bailey is also unavailable, having been granted permission to speak with AS Roma.
Villa beat Newcastle 4–1 in April, but they haven’t recorded back-to-back Premier League wins against the Magpies since completing the double over them in 2004–05.
Newcastle, meanwhile, have lost five of their last six Premier League away games against Villa, with the only exception being a 3–1 victory in January 2024.
Today, Marco Bizot starts in goal, behind a defence of Matty Cash, Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings, and Lucas Digne.
Boubacar Kamara and Amadou Onana form the double pivot, while Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans, and John McGinn are expected to support striker Ollie Watkins.
Villa starting XI vs Newcastle: Bizot, Cash, Konsa, Mings, Digne, Kamara, Onana, McGinn, Tielemans, Rogers, Watkins.
Subs: Wright, Torres, Maatsen, Bogarde, Buendia, Malen, Jimoh, Guessand, Iling-Junior.
Newcastle starting XI vs Villa: Pope, Trippier, Schar, Burn, Livramento, Tonali, Bruno, Joelinton, Barnes, Gordon, Elanga.
Subs: Ramsdale, Hall, Botman, Thiaw, Krafth, Osula, Murphy, Seung-soo, Miley.
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