Another weekend of Premier League action means another round of Mark Lawrenson’s BBC predictions column.
The former Liverpool defender has offered his verdict on how he thinks Newcastle’s home game against Aston Villa will go on Sunday.
Newcastle go into the game on the back of two straight wins and Lawrenson has not backed them to back it three but thinks they will stay unbeaten.
Lawrenson’s prediction
“There have been plenty of positives for both teams in the past couple of weeks and this has the making of a really good game. It’s certainly a hard one to call.
“Philippe Coutinho has been fabulous since joining Aston Villa last month and Newcastle will do well to keep him quiet, as well as Jacob Ramsey, who looks like he is going to be quite a player.
“Newcastle got a huge win over Everton on Tuesday and you could see what it meant to everyone at St James’ Park. Now they have to try to maintain some of that momentum.
“Lawro’s prediction: Newcastle United 1-1 Aston Villa.”
Newcastle will be without Matt Targett for this one because he is ineligible to play against his parent club after his January loan move.
That will require a little bit of a reshuffle in the back four and Newcastle must ensure they keep the likes of Coutinho and Ramsey under wraps.
Bruno Guimaraes may also be in line for a first start, and Eddie Howe has the conundrum of how many changes to make to a winning team.
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