Aston Villa v Newcastle Betting Tips [15 April 2023]

Matchday 31 in the English Premier League kicks off with sixth-place Aston Villa hosting third-place Newcastle at Villa Park. Aston Villa will be looking to close the gap on a Europa League spot as they trail fifth-place Tottenham by six points with seven matches remaining in the 2022/23 season. Meanwhile, Newcastle come into this match with the goal of putting some space between themselves and fourth-place Manchester United, who they are level with on 56 points, in their quest for a spot in the 2023/24 Champions League group stage. 

Aston Villa have been a revelation since the appointment of manager Unai Emery back in October of 2022. The former Villarreal and Arsenal boss took over an Aston Villa side in 15th-place and looking at a possible relegation battle. Emery hit the ground running at Villa Park and has been an immediate success as his team continue to rocket up the table. He now has his Aston Villa side knocking on the door of a UEFA competition next season, whether that comes by way of the Europa League or the Conference League is still to be determined by the final few matches and the FA Cup winner. Aston Villa are on an excellent run of form with six wins in their last seven including winning their last four on the trot. Their last outing resulted in a hard fought 2-0 home win over Nottingham Forest and lifted Villa’s home record to a formidable eight wins, two draws and five defeats in the league.

The visiting Newcastle find themselves in a fine run of form in their own right, having ripped off five straight wins in the Premier League. There was a time after the turn of the new year where an ugly run of only one win in eight matches threatened to derail Newcastle’s top four charge. Manager Eddie Howe was able to right the ship and things are right back on schedule for the world’s richest club. Newcastle are now three points ahead of fifth-place Tottenham and aslo have a game in hand, meaning that advantage could stretch to six points as we enter the home stretch. A 2-1 away win over Brentford last weekend was the latest in an impressive winning run which has seen the Magpies score at least two goals in each match during this five match streak. The visitors have also won their last three on the road and have improved their away record to seven wins, six draws and only two defeats.

This should be a fascinating matchup between two of the league’s most in-form teams. Newcastle have been simply superb this season and have smashed all expectations but they will come up against an Aston Villa team playing with all the confidence in the world. Given how well the hosts have performed under the leadership of manager Unai Emery, the oddsmakers listing them as significant underdogs here is a bit surprising. We like Villa to keep this game close and earn at least a point in a match that could well finish with a 1-1 scoreline. Our Aston Villa vs Newcastle prediction: Aston Villa double chance