Aston Villa v Newcastle: Prediction, tips and bet builder as European aspirations hang in the balance

Villa’s Champions League quarter-final second leg clash with PSG was one of those ‘where were you when it happened’ moments.

Unai Emery’s men came within one goal of completing one of the most remarkable comebacks in European football history, eventually losing 5-4 on aggregate against the Parisians.

Newcastle won’t be threatened in the slightest by Villa’s impressive display. Afterall, they too beat PSG on home soil in the Champions League just a couple of seasons ago.

On one hand, it’s still quite strange talking about these two clubs and the Champions League in the same article. It’s not long since both clubs were in mid-table irrelevancy. Or worse, in relegation trouble.

Both Villa and the Magpies were not even in the conversation for continental football just a few years ago, nevermind going head-to-head with the very best in the business.

Clearly, the landscape of football is changing. While the likes of Tottenham, Man United and Chelsea are struggling, the likes of Villa and Newcastle have decided to fill the vacuum.

This Saturday night marks another big game for both clubs as they look to continue filling that vacuum. Here, we take a closer look at this tasty Villa Park encounter and pick out some of the best bets along the way. If you put them into a Betway bet builder they will give you odds of around 21/1.

Aston Villa v Newcastle bet builder

Both teams to score – 11/20

Over 3.5 goals – 17/10

Matty Cash over 2.5 tackles – 19/20

Alexander Isak to score anytime – 13/8

Good luck and please gamble responsibly.

(All odds are correct at time of article publication)

Both teams to score

Backing both teams to score is a no brainer in this one. Both clubs have been on a goal scoring spree in recent weeks, and that is not a trend that looks to be slowing.

Villa, for instance, have scored exactly three goals in six of their last eight matches across all competitions.

In total, Emery’s men have scored 21 goals across those eight matches – this includes the three goals against PSG on Tuesday night.

Newcastle have also gone goal-crazy in recent times. The Magpies have scored 16 times across their last five matches.

Five of those goals came last Wednesday at home against an in-form Crystal Palace side. Bearing all that in mind, we’re making sure that BTTS is on the top of our bet builder.

Over 3.5 goals

Considering both Aston Villa and Newcastle are scoring goals for fun, we’re inclined to go with the over 3.5 goals bet.

This has landed in two of Villa’s last three games and Newcastle’s last two as well.

Matty Cash over 2.5 tackles

Poland’s Matty Cash enjoyed a terrific second leg performance against PSG in the Champions League.

The 27-year-old made a total of five tackles, which is a number which reflects PSG’s dominant performance in the first half of that match.

Newcastle are also likely to probe Villa’s defence which should give Cash plenty of opportunities to get some serious tackles in.

Alexander Isak to score anytime

One of the most in-form strikers in the world is Newcastle’s Alexander Isak.

The Swedish forward comes into this game with three goal contributions from his last three club appearances. This includes his goal against Palace in the 5-0 win.

Isak scored when the Magpies beat Aston Villa earlier in the season and we’re backing the forward to make his mark again.

Aston Villa vs Newcastle: How to watch and listen

Aston Villa vs Newcastle will be shown live on Sky Sports UHD, Main Event and Premier League at 17:30 on Saturday, April 19. There will be full match commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live Sport.

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