Aston Villa

Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins speaking to BT Sport pre-match about his goalscoring: "Like I said, I replicate some of the movement on the training pitch,. I know where to run and I stay patient because all it takes is one moment. Just staying patient and taking the chance when it comes.

"It's something I've worked on a lot. I love doing extras. Having a real purpose when you do it and when you're in that area slowing it down and picking a spot."

On Newcastle's form: "They're doing really well this year. They are really good on set-pieces so that's something to be wary of. A lot of energy, they're going to come flying out at us."

Former Aston Villa midfielder Ian Taylor said Unai Emery has been "a godsend" to Ollie Watkins since his arrival.

The forward scored twice in 15 games prior to Emery's arrival, but has netted 11 goals in 18 games under the Spaniard.

Taylor told The Football News Show:

"He is just on fire at this moment in time. He had done a lot of unselfish running in the past. Now he's being more economical. He's done less running, got into more goalscoring opportunities and positions and he's scoring a lot more goals.

"As far as Ollie is concerned, the manager has been a godsend to him"

Watch The Football News show on BBC iPlayer

Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins has scored in nine of his last 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 last 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.

Manager Eddie Howe says Newcastle United will need "everybody to contribute" in the final weeks of the season as they bid to secure Champions League football.

After five successive wins, the Magpies are third in the Premier League with nine games left to play, starting with a trip to in-form Aston Villa on Saturday.

Anthony Gordon and Callum Wilson both made important impacts from the bench in the second half of last weekend's win at Brentford.

Howe said: "It’s a squad game. We’re going to need everybody to contribute. Whether you’re starting or not, you can have an effect, change the game and hopefully get a positive result for us in either phase.

"I can only pick 11 players but I’ve got a very strong squad when everybody’s fit.

"The understanding of the group’s been really good, I’ve had no internal issues. Of course when players aren’t playing they’re disappointed, but I think that’s the same at any level. I’ve got to try to make the right decisions for the team."

Meanwhile, Howe insisted he has no problem with Gordon's reaction to being substituted at Brentford, having come off the bench himself at half-time.

"We've had a conversation," said Howe. "His enthusiasm, aggression and motivation levels are really, really high and he's fiercely determined to do well and achieve. It is one of his hallmarks, it's one of his strengths and we want to embrace that, we love that about him.

"But in certain moments he needs a cool head as well, so it's about trying to explain the situation, talk through it. I've got no issue with him at all. He's trained really well this week."

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery feels a European spot is a "realistic objective" for the club this season.

The west Midlands side have moved up to sixth in the table following a good run of form and sit just six points off Tottenham in the Europa League spot above them.

"We have to be happy but thinking we can't stop now and are deserving to get in the top 10," said Emery.

"We have now added a new realistic objective [Europe] and we have to be very, very focused about this possibility. We were speaking this morning and now the teams are playing in the Champions League, Europa League, Europa Conference League.

"The teams are now in key moments. We have the same way here - we are in the key moment."

Villa now face an in form Newcastle who have won their past five Premier League games in a row and put themselves in pole position for a Champions League spot.

The Spaniard feels this the type of target that Villa should be working towards.

"We want to improve and add a new target in our way. We are now candidates to play for European positions next year," said Emery.

"It will be difficult. We are facing teams like Liverpool, Brentford, Brighton and Chelsea. Progressively we want to be candidates to stay there.

"We have to improve and add ideas to be stronger as a team and a club. If we add in Europe this year it would be fantastic. But it wasn't the first target this year."

Mike Taylor
BBC WM

"We have to be almost perfect to get to Europe," says John McGinn, , externalin the this week. Good news, then, to find that Villa’s recent results have been exactly that: 19 points from their last seven games continuing the surge that saw them break out of the orbit of the relegation battle, and then keep going.

By all accounts, including Unai Emery’s, Villa were not all that close to perfect in many ways against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, not that there’s anything bad about a clean-sheet win in the Premier League. But the comments from Villa fans a little further down this page tell the real story.

Supporters who have seen their team begin to perform consistently well for the first time since promotion to the Premier League four years ago are now much more inclined to show patience to their team – a gift as precious as gemstones in modern football.

"In Unai I trust," wrote one fan on this page on Monday. That trust meant there was rather less tension around Villa Park when the team were struggling to create much against Forest, and had lost Leon Bailey to injury. For his replacement Bertrand Traore to then score the opening goal – the second time in a week he’d scored after being brought off the bench by Emery – will only have added to the general faith in the manager to make the right calls at the right moment.

Villa’s match against Newcastle on Saturday lunchtime – along with Arsenal, the two most improved sides in the Premier League this season – really does look like an occasion to savour. If Villa falter, expect the home fans to be a great deal more understanding than they have been in many years. Win, however, and they’ll feel unstoppable.

Small wonder that the great and the good want to go and watch them at the moment, up to and including our next two kings, who looked like they enjoyed themselves on Saturday. "Dad," you can imagine George saying to William after studying Villa’s remaining fixtures in the programme, "how long do you think it would take Grandad’s gold coach to get from Westminster Abbey to Molineux?"

*Aston Villa v Newcastle – commentary BBC Radio WM (95.6FM) on Saturday at 12:30 BST.

*BBC Radio WM Football Phone-in continues every weeknight at 18:00.

Graham: I'd take a point each at this stage and I'm Newcastle.

Newcastle forward Callum Wilson is relishing a visit to Aston Villa on Saturday in a match between two of the Premier League's most in-form sides.

Wilson has four goals in his past three games to aid the Magpies' five-match winning streak, while their hosts have won their past four to move into the top six.

Speaking on The Footballer's Football Podcast, Wilson said his side are ready to end Villa's hot streak.

"Aston Villa are on fire? Let them know the fire brigade are in town," he said, laughing. "They are doing really well so it looks like we will have to put the fire out."

Newcastle are in the top four with nine games to go but, with Champions League rivals Tottenham to play next week, need to keep winning to improve their chances of qualifying for Europe's premier competition.

"It's a really good fixture," he said of Saturday's lunchtime kick-off. "Villa will have extra motivation after we beat them 4-0 at home.

"They will want to get their own back, especially in front of their fans and given the run they have been on. It's going to be a really tough test."

David Michael, My Old Man Said, external

When you look back at Aston Villa’s beaten opponents in their last three games, Chelsea now haven’t won in their last four games, Leicester are winless in their last eight, while Nottingham Forest’s defeat at Villa Park, took them to nine games without a win.

You could argue that Unai Emery’s ever-improving team have recently taken care of the business they should be expected to deal with.

Now sitting in sixth in the table, their run-in to the end of the season offers up a stiff test to their European credentials.

In eight matches, Villa face the four teams directly below them and the three teams immediately above them in the table. No team faces a more consistently tougher set of final fixtures.

So, is finishing in the European places actually realistic?

Well, the good news is Villa have great momentum, since Emery took over, only the top two have better records. Then, of course, Villa get to play all their rivals, so it’s very much in their hands.

Some teams have started to nosedive: Chelsea (eight points adrift of Villa), Fulham (lost last four), Brentford (one win in six). Even Liverpool, three points behind Villa, are winless in their last four.

Liverpool, with a comparatively much softer run-in, along with Brighton and Spurs, remain Villa’s main threats.

Considering their remaining fixtures, Villa will certainly need some statement wins to pip any of that trio.

A home win against Newcastle this weekend, would be a cracking start.

Everything Aston Villa in one place – bookmark the page or if you’re using the app hit the bell icon for club notifications

Aston Villa fan Hannah Gowen from the UTV Podcast said "a lot of fans really think we can push for Europe" and that she "is very happy to ride this wave" of going into every game thinking her team can win.

As talk of European qualification ramps up for Aston Villa, Hannah told The Football News Show that some fans will be wary of the challenges that could come with it.

She said: "It's obviously something that will be on the minds of supporters if it were to happen. "There are some areas of the squad that could do with strengthening, but it will always be a question of are Aston Villa ready?

"Whether we do it this season or next season, there will be different challenges that come our way but we have to at this point take what we are given.

"If anybody told us when Steven Gerrard left that we would even be discussing this we would have bitten your hand off. We have seen that we have a very talented group of players and on our day we can beat anyone."

Watch The Football News Show on BBC iPlayer

Anyway, back to today and that lunchtime game in particular, where in-form Villa are hosting in-form Newcastle.

Image source, Getty Images

They're not playing today, but I did hint at it earlier so we might as well deal with the injury news that hit Manchester United yesterday.

It's bad luck to lose one starting centre-back, but to lose both is some stinking fortune.

Centre-back Lisandro Martinez will miss the rest of the season after fracturing a metatarsal bone in his foot in the 2-2 Europa League home draw with Sevilla. Raphael Varane also sustained an injury and is expected to be out for a few weeks.

It is undoubtedly a big blow for Champions League chasing United. Now they may be forced to rely on an £80m centre-back and another who cost them £35m. Not sure how they'll cope, to be honest.

Wolves will be without Jonny Castro and Ruben Neves who are both serving suspensions.

Midfielder Matheus Nunes will be assessed after he limped out of the 1-0 win over Chelsea last weekend.

Brentford captain Pontus Jansson could miss the rest of the season after suffering a hamstring injury in the defeat by Newcastle United.

Keane Lewis-Potter, Frank Onyeka and Kristoffer Ajer all remained sidelined by injury.

Tottenham remain without Rodrigo Bentancur, Yves Bissouma, Ben Davies, Emerson Royal and Ryan Sessegnon due to injury, while Lucas Moura is banned.

Interim boss Cristian Stellini takes charge of fifth-place Spurs following his sending-off against Brighton.

Bournemouth's manager Gary O'Neil has Marcos Senesi available again after a hamstring issue.

However, he is still without Ryan Fredericks, Junior Stanislas and Hamed Traore.

Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia will be assessed after he was forced off in the defeat against Manchester City with a tight hamstring.

Mislav Orsic is unavailable due to injury, while Juan Larios, Mohammed Salisu and Che Adams remain out.

Crystal Palace winger Odsonne Edouard has recovered from an ankle injury sustained in the win at Leeds United.

Nathaniel Clyne, Wilfried Zaha, Vicente Guaita and Nathan Ferguson have all been ruled out.

Everton captain Seamus Coleman has been ruled out due to a minor hamstring injury sustained in last weekend's defeat at Manchester United.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin has returned to full training, although Abdoulaye Doucoure serves the second game of a three-match ban.

Fulham have no new injury concerns for the trip to Goodison Park.

Aleksandar Mitrovic will miss another six games due to suspension, while Layvin Kurzawa remains out.

You've had the team news for the early game. Here is what we know as regards the teams for the 3pm matches in the Premier League. We'll start with the match at Stamford Bridge...

Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly has been ruled out with the hamstring injury he suffered against Real Madrid.

Mason Mount could feature in the Premier League for the first time since the end of February after coming on as a substitute at the Bernabeu.

Brighton will be without on-loan defender Levi Colwill, who is ineligible against his parent club.

Tariq Lamptey is likely to be out for another couple of weeks with a knee problem.

Unai Emery makes one change to the Aston Villa team that beat Nottingham Forest last weekend.

Leander Dendoncker replaces Leon Bailey, who misses out with a hamstring injury sustained in the 2-0 victory over Forest.

Aston Villa XI: Martinez, Young, Konsa, Mings, Moreno, Dendoncker, Ramsey, McGinn, Douglas Luiz, Buendia, Watkins

Subs: Olsen, Sinisalo, Carlos, Traore, Chambers, Duran, Digne, Revan, Patterson

Image source, BBC Sport

Newcastle also make one alteration to the side that defeated Brentford last Saturday.

Anthony Gordon, who reacted angrily to being substituted in last weekend’s 2-1 win, starts in place of Sean Longstaff.

Miguel Almiron is back among the substitutes after recovering from a thigh injury.

Newcastle XI: Pope, Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn, Gordon, Bruno Guimaraes, Willock, Murphy, Isak, Joelinton

Subs: Dubravka, Lascelles, Wilson, Ritchie, Targett, Manquillo, Anderson, Longstaff

Image source, BBC Sport

This Premier League relegation battle is going to go right down to the wire isn't it...

Image source, BBC Sport

Here is the current situation at the top of the Premier League.

That gap at the very summit will be just three points (with both sides having played the same number of games) if Man City today.

That game on 26 April between them at the Etihad is biiiiiiiiiig.

Newcastle look in fine shape for a top-four finish. And just look at Villa muscling their way in there!

Tottenham and a bruised and depleted Man Utd starting to feel the heat.

Image source, BBC Sport