Newcastle-Aston Villa is a match valid for the first day of the Premier League and is played Saturday at 6:30 pm: TV, lineups, predictions.
Hierarchies, in the Premier League, can change quickly. This has been proved by Newcastle, which in the space of a few months, thanks to the massive investment of the Saudi fund Pif, has turned into a full-fledged big name in the English top league.
Without doing the usual “sticker collection,” the Magpies have yes spent a lot of money but in a judicious manner, pandering above all to the demands of the excellent Eddie Howe, one of the most interesting coaches on the English scene. As a result, the rise of the black and whites has been sudden: last season they even finished fourth, regaining that Champions League they had not seen at St. James’ Park for twenty years. To make themselves ready for the big appointment, Newcastle in the summer further reinforced themselves, buying Sandro Tonali from AC Milan and Harvey Barnes from Leicester and at the same time keeping almost all the strongest players – the only relevant sale so far being that of Saint-Maximin – confirming the solidity of the project. Of course, expectations will be even higher in this Premier which is about to open its doors, with the Magpies having to prove for the first time in years that they can also handle the double commitment.
Also studying “from Newcastle” is Aston Villa, another club that has been dreaming big for a few years now.
Emery
The Villans last season made a stunning comeback, made possible by the work of Unai Emery, who arrived in the league going forward. In a few weeks they went from the fight not to relegate to Europe, finishing with a seventh place that before the Spanish coach’s landing seemed unattainable. A placing that earned them a return to Europe, in that Conference League that in the last edition was won by an English team, West Ham. Emery and his men are coming off a good preseason, in which they beat Lazio, Fulham and Valencia. In the United States, Aston Villa also met Newcastle and ended with a pyrotechnic 3-3.
The prediction
Two teams returning from excellent seasons, which they will be called upon to reconfirm. The conditions to do so, in light of market transactions, are all there: in this match Newcastle will likely avoid defeat, but as was the case in the friendly, it is very likely that we will witness a balanced challenge and from at least one goal per side.
The probable lineups of Newcastle-Aston Villa
- NEWCASTLE (4-3-3): Pope; Trippier, Botman, Schar, Burn; Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes, Joelinton; Almiron, Isak, Barnes.
- ASTON VILLA (3-4-2-1): Martinez; Konsa, Pau Torres, Mings; Cash, Kamara, Tielemans, Digne; McGinn, Diaby; Watkins.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-1
