Newcastle v Aston Villa: Unai Emery aims to end 20 years of hurt on Tyneside

The Villa boss let out a chuckle when informed on Monday how Villa have not beaten the Magpies on their own patch since a 3-0 win in 2005, a day which remains infamous for home players Kieron Dyer and Lee Bowyer both being sent-off for fighting each other.

Emery already knew just how tough getting a result at St James’s Park can be after watching his team hammered 5-1 on the opening day of last season, while Villa also lost 4-0 in the match before he took charge in October, 2022.

When told of the true scale of the club’s struggles in the north-east he smiled and said: “It is a very good thing to motivate more!”

Villa’s record on Boxing Day might provide even further incentive. They have won only twice on the date in the Premier League since 2005, while their last Boxing Day win on the road in the top flight was in the last century, a 2-0 win at Derby County where George Boateng and Ian Taylor got the goals.

Yet Newcastle’s festive history is arguably worse. They are the only Premier League team to have lost more than Villa on Boxing Day and have been beaten in their last three home matches on the date.

This particular meeting is between two teams who appear to have rediscovered some rhythm after inconsistent spells. Saturday’s 2-1 win over Manchester City was Villa’s fourth in five matches in all competitions after a run of eight without a win. Newcastle had won just two out of 11 Premier League matches before consecutive 4-0 victories over Leicester and Ipswich.

“The last matches in the Premier League they are feeling strong again,” observed Emery. 

“I don’t know why. Maybe at the beginning they were not feeling comfortable and getting points like they have to. 

“Now I think they are in good form. We respect them a lot because the last two matches we played there we lost 5-1 and then 4-0. The power is there.”

Emery has told his players they will need to play a “complete match” in order to win with the recent late collapse at Nottingham Forest still fresh in the manager’s mind.

“They deserved to win because in football you have to play for 90 minutes,” he said. “We played for a long time there like I want but you can lose in five or 10 minutes by not being consistent. 

“Now with Newcastle we are going to face a team favourite to be in the top seven. It is them and the top six (Big Six) teams. We respect that. They are strong with their supporters in the stadium and we will need a complete match, in everything.”