Newcastle's first proper chance to threaten. A couple of headers in the box follow a Kieran Trippier chipped free-kick. Alexander Isak brings the ball down but is pushed away from goal before Villa clear.

Gareth Southgate is here watching. Ollie Watkins will be high on his list of players to keep an eye on for his next England squad. That wasn't one for the showreel, but he still has over 85 minutes to impress.

You absolutely expected Ollie Watkins to find the net there. It's a big let-off for Newcastle, who switched off inside 30 seconds.

Image source, Getty Images

Wow, what a start!

Ollie Watkins is away, in behind the Newcastle defence. He's exactly the man Newcastle don't want to see in this position, but unlike recent weeks, he scuffs his shot a bit and sends it dribbling to strike the post.

Image source, Getty Images

Dion Dublin
Former England striker on Football Focus

It's a great game this. I think it's a very even game. Isak has hit the ground well. He's getting to the pace of the Premier League.

It will take time on the training ground but that can work.

Alex Scott
Former England and Arsenal defender on Football Focus

Only Arsenal and Manchester City have won more points in the Premier League since Unai Emery took over. He's come in and changed everything around.

Two in-form sides, both chasing Europe, but who is going to come out on top?

Let's find out...

Image source, Getty Images

Scott Minto
Former Chelsea and West Ham defender on BBC Radio 5 Live

Both of these clubs are massive and they've been starved of success for too long.

They are massive clubs waiting to see their teams win trophies. They are getting better; the future is very exciting.

As part of the programme at 12:00 BST, Football Focus addressed the rise in so-called 'tragedy chants'. On the show, Hillsborough survivors describe the real mental health impacts of hateful slurs about Hillsborough, the Munich air disaster and other tragedies in football.

What is 'tragedy chanting'?

Jurgen Klopp & Erik ten Hag call for end to 'tragedy chanting'

Today marks 34 years since the UK's worst sporting disaster, when 97 Liverpool supporters lost their lives at Hillsborough.

The Reds fans died following a crush at Sheffield Wednesday's stadium before an FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest in 1989.

An inquest into the disaster ruled the fans had been unlawfully killed.

Liverpool are not in action until Monday, but Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool club captain Jordan Henderson will pay tribute to the 97 at Anfield.

Scott Minto
Former Chelsea and West Ham defender on BBC Radio 5 Live

A sub doesn't want to be subbed. It is not just an 11 man game; it is 13, 14, 15, 16 man game. Anthony Gordon has to to understand that situation.

Clearly Howe has looked at him in training and he's done well. So he starts today.

For this weekend's Premier League fixtures, Chris Sutton is up against Jack Jones, frontman with Welsh indie band Trampolene.

Image source, BBC Sport

Sutton's prediction: 1-2

Both of these teams are in such good form - Aston Villa have won their past four games, while Newcastle are on a run of five wins in a row.

The obvious result is a draw, but I am actually going to keep on backing Newcastle because I was really impressed with their second-half display at Brentford last week.

I really admire what Unai Emery has done at Villa too, and they have enough firepower to cause the Magpies problems here but I just feel like Newcastle's quality will edge it.

Jack's prediction:This is a good one to start with, and I am going to go for some goals for Match of the Day. Newcastle are formidable but Emery is doing brilliantly - Villa feels like the perfect club for him - and he'll find a way to get something here. 2-2.

Find out what Chris and Jack predicted for the rest of the weekend's games and cast your vote

Newcastle have conceded a goal from just 7.2% of their shots faced in the Premier League this season (21 goals conceded from 293 shots).

It's the Magpies' lowest such ratio on record in a single campaign in the competition (since 2003-04), and the lowest for any side since Liverpool in 2018-19 (also 7.2%).

Since Unai Emery’s first Premier League game in charge of Aston Villa in November, only Arsenal have picked up more points (42) and earned more wins (13) in the competition than the Villans (35 points, 11 wins).

Villa have won their last four league games, last winning five in a row in the top-flight in April 1998 under John Gregory.

Since their return to the Premier League in 2019, Aston Villa have won all three of their home games against Newcastle by the same scoreline (2-0), with five of their six goals in these matches coming before half-time.

Scott Minto
Former Chelsea and West Ham defender on BBC Radio 5 Live

Eddie Howe has been nothing short of sensational since taking over at Newcastle. Lets not forget that Unai Emery was their first choice. Just look at the job he's done at Villa; it is fair to say they had him in mind for a very good reason.

Howe is a much better coach for having been out the game, ironically. He's spoken to different coaches. His Bournemouth side were quite open defensively, now Newcastle are superb at the back.

Image source, Getty Images

• Following a 4-0 win in October, Newcastle are looking for their first Premier League double over Aston Villa since the 2013-14 campaign under Alan Pardew.
• Ollie Watkins has scored in nine of his past 11 league appearances (9 goals) and has scored in 12 different Premier League games this season overall. Only three players – Christian Benteke in 2012-13 (15), Juan Pablo Ángel in 2003-04 (13), and Dwight Yorke in both 1996-97 (13) and 1995-96 (14) – have ever scored in more different games in a season in the competition for Villa.
• Alexander Isak has scored in each of Newcastle’s past three Premier League away games (four goals); only Peter Beardsley in December 1993 has ever scored in four consecutive away appearances in the competition for the Magpies.

Callum Wilson says he did a Macarena celebration "for the podcast" as he reflected on Newcastle's 5-1 victory against West Ham last Wednesday.

Speaking on The Footballer's Football Podcast, Wilson told co-host and Hammers striker Michail Antonio that performing the dance was "a nice moment".

"I was going to do it in your face but I didn't know where you were so I did it in front of the fans," he said of his moves after opening the scoring.

"Michail, I know you were proud of it. You were nowhere to be seen after the game, you've not spoken to me since and you've ignored me completely.

"And we have to talk about the way we dealt with them - we dealt with them properly."

Antonio had promised to do the dance if he got on the scoresheet and admitted he was infuriated by the way the game transpired.

"I could not speak to this guy," he said. "I was fuming! I was five yards behind you when you scored and then you wheeled off to celebrate.

"If I'd seen you running at me to do it, I'd have run off!"

Thoroughly enjoying the result, Wilson laughed: "If you'd run, I'd have chased you all over the pitch!"

What made Wilson cross in Saturday's win over Brentford? And how did he respond to being left out of the starting XI?

Listen to the full podcast over here on BBC Sounds

Matty Renton, The Magpie Channel TV, external

Five wins a row! What a week for Newcastle United. Three games games, three wins, nine monumental points.

In a six-day period which saw Newcastle kick it off with a win against top four rivals Manchester United, followed by back-to-back matches in the capital, demolishing West Ham 5-1 and producing a brilliant comeback against Brentford.

This could well be a season-defining stretch for the Toon Army.

Many believed Manchester United had cemented that third spot in the league, however, that is now in the hands of Eddie Howe's high-flying Magpies. They continue to impress, to fight and to win. They have their mojo back.

The cup final upset seems well and truly behind them. Since the defeat at Wembley they have marched on to an unbeaten five game streak. Many believed the Geordies would fall off, slip away and potentially not end up with any European football at all. However, anything but Champions League away days for the Toon Army would be deemed a missed opportunity now.

Newcastle have been in the top four for the majority of the season, completely warranted. They deserve the chance to compete with the best. Howe versus Allegri. The Black and White Army taking over the Bernabeu. These scenes are long over due - 20 years in the making in fact - and this time the ambitious owners will be aiming to stay there.

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