Newcastle United host Aston Villa in the Premier League on Saturday, with momentum building at St. James' Park that the Magpies can break into the top four for the first time in 20 years.
Villa caretaker Aaron Danks will take charge for the last time here before new manager Unai Emery takes the reins next week.
Match preview
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Not since the days of Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse's lethal link-up back in 2011-12 have Newcastle made such a good start to the season.
Their fifth-place finish that season would be a remarkable achievement should they be able to replicate it, but the Toon Army have their eyes set on Champions League qualification after proving they can mix it with the best.
Collecting four points from trips to Old Trafford and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium shows they are well in the mix for the top four, especially considering their win last weekend against Spurs saw them leapfrog Chelsea in fourth.
Still being unbeaten at St. James' Park after six matches is a big factor in their strong start too, as Liverpool remain the only side who have won here in the league this calendar year, winning 10 from 15 home games.
They have not spent mega money yet on the level of a club like Manchester City, but Eddie Howe has efficiently sorted out the basics like improving at the back.
So much so that they currently have the strongest defensive record in the division, being the only club to have a record of under one goal conceded per game.
Despite being winless on the road in their six away games this season and scoring just three times, there is a lot of excitement again at Aston Villa now after a whirlwind week.
After Steven Gerrard was sacked following a dreadful display at Fulham, Danks came in as caretaker and led Villa to a brilliant 4-0 win over Brentford last Sunday.
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Emery's appointment topped off a fine week for the claret and blue side of Birmingham, but the Spaniard will not be on the touchline here due to work permit delays.
He may well be an ideal appointment, because despite his perceived shortcomings at Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain, he worked wonders at Valencia, Sevilla and Villarreal.
Valencia were Champions League regulars under his stewardship, Sevilla won an unprecedented three consecutive Europa League crowns, and he reached the Champions League semi-finals with Villarreal just last season after clinching the Europa League title a year earlier.
The Villa faithful will be more than happy if Emery can lead them away from trouble to a comfortable mid-table finish this season though, and with the World Cup break coming, he should have sufficient time to get most of his squad onside.
Team News
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Allan Saint-Maximin is very unlikely to feature for Newcastle, with the trip to Southampton next week looking like a more realistic target for his return to the squad as he recovers from a thigh injury.
Alexander Isak will remain out until after the World Cup with a thigh issue of his own which he picked up on international duty with Sweden last month, so Callum Wilson looks set to continue up front.
A settled back four of Kieran Trippier, Sven Botman, Fabian Schar and Dan Burn have now started the last five games for Newcastle, but injuries to Matt Ritchie, Emil Krafth and Paul Dummett have limited the number of defensive options at Howe's disposal.
It looks unlikely that Danks will make any changes to the Villa side which won so convincingly against Brentford last weekend.
However, they may be able to welcome back two left-backs to the squad very soon, with Lucas Digne and Ludwig Augustinsson both on the verge of returning to full fitness.
Danks made the big call to drop captain John McGinn to the bench for that match, and it is expected he and Philippe Coutinho will remain in reserve for the trip to the North East.
Douglas Luiz avoided a three-match suspension for violent conduct after his red card against Fulham was rescinded.
Newcastle United possible starting lineup:
Pope; Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn; Bruno Guimaraes, Longstaff, Joelinton; Almiron, Wilson, Murphy
Aston Villa possible starting lineup:
Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Young; Dendoncker, Douglas Luiz, Buendia; Watkins, Ings, Bailey
We say: Newcastle United 2-0 Aston Villa
Villa got a huge lift from their result last week, but St. James' Park has become one of the toughest place to visit in the country, so this will be difficult for Danks and his side.
Newcastle have kept three clean sheets in their six home games this season, and they looked very comfortable in defence when they faced Everton in their last fixture here, so a similar result looks likely.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Andrew Delaney
