Aston Villa have seen over 2.5 goals in each of their last five games across all competitions - including both legs of their Champions League quarter-final against PSG and against Southampton at St Mary’s in their most recent Premier League fixture.

Newcastle have seen over 2.5 goals in four of their last five games across all competitions, the exception coming against a West Ham side that have been quite pragmatic under the tutelage of Graham Potter.

The initial meeting between these sides produced over 2.5 goals as Newcastle ran out 3-0 winners. This result was slightly skewed due to Villa having to play the majority of the game with 10 men after Jhon Duran’s early red card.

Watkins was left out of Aston Villa’s starting 11 for both ties in their quarter final against PSG in the Champions League. This was a surprising move by Emery seeing as Watkins is Villa’s top scorer in the Premier League this season with 14 goals across his 32 appearances in the top flight this season, he's expected to come back into the team here.

Watkins has had 35 shots on target across these appearances (1.45 per 90). He could be perfectly suited to lining up against Dan Burn and Fabian Schar, who would certainly prefer to be up against a more traditional and physical number nine, rather than Watkins, who is quick and clever with his movement.

Watkins came off the bench to score against Southampton in his most recent Premier League appearance. He’s only five goals away from matching his tally in the Premier League from last season which is reflective of a solid campaign overall, especially when considering the increased competition in forward areas he’s had to contend with this season.

McGinn has committed 43 fouls across his 28 Premier League appearances this season (2.04 per 90). He’s energetic in the middle of the park for Villa, often using his strength to his advantage which makes him a very tough opponent but also opens him up to stepping over the line quite often as his average suggests.

He’s been booked in each of his last two games against PSG and Southampton, committing four fouls across these games despite only being on the field for 71 minutes across both encounters. McGinn has received seven yellow cards in the Premier League this season, only Morgan Rogers has received more for Villa.

McGinn contested six duels and committed a foul in the initial meeting between the sides at St James’ Park. Aston Villa committed 10 fouls on that occasion, roughly in line with their average of 11.1 fouls committed per game in the Premier League this season.

Newcastle have won each of their last six games. Aston Villa are strong at home but tend to draw quite a lot of games, seven of their 16 games at home this season have ended with the points shared - only Everton have drawn more games at home this season.

Newcastle have avoided defeat in 11 of their 16 games on the road this season, only Liverpool and Arsenal can boast a better away record in the Premier League this season. This suggests that this meeting will be quite tight, it still promises plenty of entertainment but the final result is likely to be decided by just one goal if not end in a stalemate here.

Both sides had midweek games so will enter this game with some fatigue and probably some rotation to account for the busy recent period. Newcastle ran out 3-1 winners in this fixture last season and whilst it would be some accomplishment to be only the second side to beat Villa at Villa Park in the Premier League this season, the Geordies look good to take a share of the points here.

Isak scored in Newcastle’s 3-0 win over Aston Villa at St James’ Park earlier in the season. He’s scored 21 goals across his 29 appearances for Newcastle this season, which makes him far and away the club's top scorer in the Premier League - the next closest player to Isak in Eddie Howe’s squad is Harvey Barnes with nine.

Isak scored against Brentford when he returned from international duty and scored last time out against Crystal Palace, he enters this game in good form. His superb form in front of goal can continue here against an Aston Villa side that have kept just two clean sheets across their last five.

Joelinton has received nine yellow cards in the Premier League this season, more than any other player in the Newcastle squad. He’s incredibly aggressive off the ball which points to how Newcastle play as a team, they look to out run the opposition and overpower them in central areas - Joelinton is a massive part of this structure and picks up bookings as a result.

Joelinton has committed 54 fouls across his 27 Premier League appearances this season (2.16 per 90). He’ll be lining up against an Aston Villa side that are winning more fouls than any other side in the Premier League this season- around 13.0 per game.

This battle should become clear in the middle of the park. Joelinton will trade blows with John McGinn who is as up for the scrap as the Brazilian. McGinn has won 60 fouls across his 28 Premier League appearances this season (2.85 per 90) - more than any other Aston Villa player this season.

Both sides have seen BTTS in three of their last five games across all competitions. This game is likely to produce chances at both ends given the positive form of each side coming into this game and the context surrounding the fixture with Champions League qualification still well within the sights of Aston Villa and Newcastle.

The volume of goals that these sides have been seeing over recent weeks is really promising. Aston Villa have seen over 2.5 goals in each of their last five games which suggests that their games of late have seen plenty of goalmouth action. Villa have struggled for defensive solidity this season which could end up costing them in their hunt for a Champions League finish.

The meeting between the sides at Villa Park last season saw BTTS as Newcastle ran out 3-1 winners. The initial meeting between the sides this season at St James’ Park produced three goals as Newcastle ran out 3-0 winners, but Villa did have a man sent off early in the first half, which made finding the back of the net quite a difficult task.

Newcastle epitomise the style of the Premier League with their intense approach and physicality in the middle of the park. This naturally sees Eddie Howe’s side pick up cautions at a pretty consistent rate, something which should take centre stage here against the most fouled team in the Premier League.

Newcastle have received 53 yellow cards across their 31 Premier League games this season (1.70 per game). This average rises to just under 2.0 cards per game when looking at their away games in the Premier League this season. Aston Villa have drawn 2+ cards from the opposition in each of their last six Premier League outings.