Aston Villa take on the visitors Newcastle in the round 1/16-finals of English FA Cup. The match will be played on Saturday, February 14th at Villa Park (Birmingham).
Aston Villa clearly made the right call by bringing Emery back to England. Last season they even reached the Champions League playoffs. However, in spring they narrowly missed out on qualifying again due to an unfortunate tiebreaker: they finished level on points with Newcastle but lost out on secondary criteria. After the summer break, they were knocked out of the League Cup early and went a long time without a league win. Still, by January they had grown into a confident top-three side. There have been dips in form, including a recent loss to Brentford and only a draw with Bournemouth. On the positive side, they defeated Brighton this week, even if only 1–0. In the Europa League, the Spanish coach’s trademark competition, they collected 21 points from eight matches, matching Lyon as joint leaders of the league phase. Recent home performances suggest Aston Villa remain difficult to break down and know how to manage tight games. Even during uneven spells, they continue to pick up crucial points against direct rivals.
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Newcastle are trying to maintain a high level, but not everything is working. The Magpies were clearly successful last season, winning their first trophy in many years with the League Cup and finishing fifth in the Premier League. That achievement secured a return to the Champions League, where they again progressed to the playoffs with relative confidence. Domestically, however, their strongest performances have tended to come in cup competitions. While defending their League Cup title, they reached the semifinals, but Manchester City proved too strong over two legs. In the league, their football has been far too inconsistent, which is reflected in the results. Recently, they suffered painful defeats to direct competitors, most notably a 1–4 loss to Liverpool. More setbacks followed, and only against a struggling Tottenham in midweek did they finally secure a 2–1 victory. Overall form suggests Newcastle are capable of strong individual displays but struggle to sustain momentum. Away matches in particular have exposed issues with consistency and game control.
The Black and Whites recently recorded three consecutive wins in this matchup. However, in the last three meetings they managed only one draw alongside two defeats. Overall, there are more arguments in favor of the hosts. We back Aston Villa to claim the victory.
Prediction for the match: Aston Villa to win.
