Why Aston Villa will earn a valuable victory
Newcastle head to Aston Villa on a huge high after their 4-1 triumph over Wolves last weekend put them in a great position to secure survival in their first season back in the Premier League.
That success boosted their tally up to 39 points but perhaps even more significant is their plus two goal difference, which gives them a considerable advantage over the teams at the bottom and means that they should now be comfortable enough to start focussing on finishing in the top half.
Both the Magpies and their hosts on Sunday lunchtime will have revenge on their minds heading into this fixture, as Newcastle were relegated on their last visit to Villa Park - an event the home fans revelled in - while Villa are still smarting from a 6-0 thumping up at St James' Park back in August.
The travelling Toon Army will target three points in the hope of pushing their relegators closer to a surprise demotion of their own, however they haven't been the best at stringing victories together since Alan Pardew replaced Chris Hughton last December, winning successive games only once.
Aston Villa have improved since the January addition of a predatory striker in Darren Bent, even if their position in the table hasn't risen accordingly. They've lost just three of their last ten - away to Manchester United and Bolton and at home to Wolves, the sole truly troubling defeat of the three.
That Wolves loss was one of only four that they have suffered domestically all season and they have delivered in several big matches, beating Manchester City and holding Chelsea for example, so [1.88] is an appealing price for Gerard Houllier to inspire a result that will ease some of the pressure on him.
Aston Villa v Newcastle United
Kick-off: 4pm (Sunday)
Live on Sky Sports 1
Think Newcastle will complete a double over the strugglers? They are [4.7]...
Published: 8 Apr 2011
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