Aston Villa travel to Tyneside to take on Newcastle United at St James’ Park on Sunday, hoping to avoid a third consecutive Premier League match without a win.
Unai Emery’s side suffered a bruising weekend on home turf as they succumbed to a frustrating 1-0 defeat against Everton at Villa Park.
A second-half strike from Thierno Barry was enough to put Villa to the sword.
That defeat left another massive dent in their unlikely title hopes following the previous goalless draw against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
Villa’s European conquest brought some relief as they claimed a narrow 1-0 win away to Turkish powerhouse Fenerbahce in the Europa League, courtesy of Jadon Sancho’s first-half strike.
That victory sealed their place in the Europa League last 16 with a game to spare, and it’s now up to Villa to carry that momentum on their return to domestic duties.
Despite recent setbacks, Villa are still part of the title conversation, an unexpected but welcome presence alongside Arsenal and Manchester City.
With Arsenal set to take on Manchester United in Sunday’s headline fixture and Man City swatting aside Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0, Villa can’t afford to slip up on Tyneside.
A third consecutive match without a win could prematurely end their title hopes, so it doesn’t help that the goals seem to have dried up over the past few games.
Villa have scored just three times in their last four games in all competitions. However, they’ve been solid defensively, keeping two clean sheets in that run.
How Aston Villa could line up
Emery will likely make four changes to his starting XI, but most of them will likely come in defence.
Emiliano Martinez’s calf problem opened the door for Marco Bizot to stake his claim, and he did so in emphatic style, making eight saves to help Villa keep a clean sheet against Fenerbahce.
Bizot could be rewarded for his midweek heroics by retaining his place in goal, although Martinez is likely to miss out anyway as he struggles to shake off his knock.
Lucas Digne, Pau Torres, and Ezri Konsa are poised to return to the back four alongside Matty Cash, while Amadou Onana returns to partner Youri Tielemans in midfield.
The attacking quartet of Sancho, Morgan Rogers, Emiliano Buendia, and Ollie Watkins should remain unchanged for the trip to Newcastle.
Predicted Villa starting XI
(4-2-3-1): Bizot; Cash, Konsa, Torres, Maatsen; Tielemans, Onana; Sancho, Rogers, Buendia; Watkins.
