Aston Villa (A) Pre-match thoughts, team news, possible line-ups & prediction

Another away day and this time a battle between two of the Premier League's in-form sides, seeing us take on Unai Emery's Aston Villa in the early kick-off on Saturday.

With six wins and and a draw in their last seven games, five clean sheets in that period and three straight victories at home, Aston Villa are flying. They recently leapfrogged Liverpool and Brighton, sit 6th in the table and have a real chance of European football, so this promises to be another test of our top-four mettle.

That said, we overcame our latest challenge with flying colours last weekend, putting in a superb second-half display, overcoming a 1-0 deficit and some awful VAR calls to beat Brentford; a team who hadn't lost at home since September until they faced this never-say-die Newcastle United.

The game sees Howe take on the man who almost beat him to the job on Tyneside. We ended up with the perfect appointment - a workaholic who understands the club, is adored by fans, improves players and has a high-ceiling to grow with this exciting new project. However, there is no doubt that Emery is a top manager, making for a tough game and tactical battle between two sides with European ambitions and bags of confidence.

With Tottenham hosting Bournemouth soon after our game ends, this is another big chance to put pressure on our top-four rivals. An away win would send us six clear of Spurs on the same games played, while an injury-hit Man Utd travel to Nottingham Forest in Sunday's late kick-off.

Here's what Howe's had to say ahead of the game, discussing our form, 'growing belief' and Emery's decision to turn down the Toon job:

"I think there's a growing belief that we're getting back to our best form after a difficult period around January when we were a bit frustrated with ourselves. The Wolves win was a big moment for us and we've backed that up.

"I'm here because Unai turned the job down - & I'm delighted that he did! He's got a clear philosophy. They very rarely change what they do. Tactically they are interesting and it will be a tough challenge for us."

Team news

Miguel Almiron (thigh) could return to the squad if he comes through training unscathed, but Allan Saint-Maximin will miss out once again; although he should be back "very soon" after fears of a '4-6 week' layoff were played down by Howe.

For the hosts, they're expected to be without star midfielder Boubacar Kamara, pacey forward Leon Bailey, right-back Matty Cash and Philippe Coutinho, meaning Bertrand Traore could partner the in-form Ollie Watkins in attack.

Predicted line ups

(4-4-1-1): Pope – Trippier, Schar, Botman, Burn – Murphy, Bruno, Joelinton, Willock - Isak - Wilson.

I can see Howe making a few changes to the side that struggled in the first half at Brentford, as we may not get away with such a poor 45 minutes against a much improved Aston Villa.

I'm confident Callum Wilson comes back into the side. He bagged a brace at West Ham and made a real impact off the bench last weekend, linking up superbly with Alexander Isak.

We can expect Villa to sit fairly deep, limit space and look to hit us with pace on the counter, so two strikers and additional threat in the box could break down what has been a pretty stubborn defence.

Longstaff was taken off at the break at Brentford and isn't the quickest - he could struggle in transition against their pace - so I think we could see Joelinton partner Bruno in midfield after they ended our last game so strongly.

That would mean Joe Willock down the left in Saint-Maximin's absence and Jacob Murphy down the right. Miguel Almiron won't be ready to start just yet and I can see Anthony Gordon remaining an impact sub for now, giving Murphy another chance to impress.

At the back, we were all at sea at times last Saturday but settled in the second half, so I can't see any changes in that department; even if Matt Targett is itching to play against his former club.

Prediction

We've already proven our top-four credentials with a superb response to that cup final defeat and five straight wins, showing bags of character along the way and a return to our best form. However, belief that we will secure Champions League football will reach an all-time high if we can leave Villa Park with all three points.

I think we'll fall just short of that and come away with a point. Not quite the result we're all hoping for, but it would be far from disastrous if we can then beat Spurs in next Sunday's six-pointer at St James' Park.

Prediction: Aston Villa 1-1 Newcastle

HWTL!