Aston Villa vs Newcastle

9/2- There is nothing like a home win after a defeat away and Aston Villa would be hoping for something on the same lines as they return home to take on Newcastle after a loss last week. Aston Villa are 6^th on the points table and are ahead of the 7^th placed  Manchester City just on the basis of goal difference and hence would want to ensure that the spot is maintained and they can qualify for the European competitions at the end of the season. Newcastle on the other hand are at the 12^th position and it appears as though they have lost the formula of winning a match, in the last 8 matches the team has drawn 3 matches while the remaining five have been losses.

Looking at the history between the two sides Newcastle have been quite dominant as they have won 14 of the 29 matches in the last 15 years while there have been 10 draws. While talking about this season, the previous encounter between the two sides ended as a draw. But now Aston Villa playing at home can just turn the tables around and Newcastle would have to be careful.

While Aston Villa have lost their last match against Fulham which was an away tie while Newcastle drew their last match which they played at home against Middlesbrough. While the home side have Agbonlahor and Carew as players who could make a difference for them the visiting side can pose threat through Martins and Viduka. All said and done Villa would want a full three points from this match in order to ensure that they can retain their spot on the points table or even climb a spot or two while Newcastle might just be satisfied with a point off this away tie.

Prediction: 2-1, Aston Villa win