Newcastle can pile further misery on Steve Bruce's slumping Vila side.
Newcastle v Aston Villa - Monday 20:00, Sky Sports 1
Dwight Gayle is expected to make his first start in over a month after coming off the bench to rally Newcastle late on at Norwich in midweek. Jamaal Lescelles snatched a point in a frenetic 2-2 draw at Carrow Road, bagging the equaliser just five minutes after Gayle was introduced. And his return spells bad news for Villa in terms of how they approach this game.
Already starved of confidence on the back of seven defeats in eight matches, the Midlanders will be compelled to drop deeper and guard against the threat of the former Crystal Palace man running in behind. But that most probably invites the Magpies to dictate terms from the outset, allowing the likes of Jonjo Shelvey and Matt Ritchie more space to pick their passes.
If that proves to be the case, then it’s hard to see the visitors troubling the scoresheet. There’s no doubt Villa have enough individual talent to cause problems but their efforts to stem the tide pushing towards their own 18-yard line might result in few sighters at the opposite end of the pitch. Back Newcastle on the win to nil market at 8/5.
Steve Bruce has been forced to accept that the Villans are now looking down rather than up, imploring his players to roll their sleeves up for a dogfight over the remaining 15 games. But if the hosts calm their nerves with a breakthrough inside 45 minutes, this could turn into a procession. The Newcastle 3-0 correct score is also worth a nibble at 14/1.
