‘All day long’: David Seaman predicts who’ll finish higher this season out of Newcastle and Aston Villa

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Newcastle United were last season’s surprise package in the Premier League, and this year it looks like that honour could go to Aston Villa.

While Unai Emery’s side were beaten 5-1 by Newcastle on the opening day of the season, they have since gone on to enjoy a breathtaking start to the Premier League campaign.

Aston Villa are currently fifth in the table, sitting just one point outside of the top four. The likes of Ollie Watkins and Moussa Diaby are performing brilliantly, and allowing Villa to build on what was an impressive season last time out.

While they were good last year, they were not as good as Newcastle, who managed to finish fourth and qualify for the Champions League. That was an incredible achievement, and one they will hope to repeat this season.

However, that will be very difficult. The likes of Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur are much stronger, while there is also the threat that Aston Villa pose. After their strong start, they will be eager to do what Newcastle did and qualify for the Champions League.

But despite their blistering form at the moment, former Arsenal goalkeeper David Seaman is still backing Newcastle United to finish above Aston Villa come May 2024.

David Seaman says Newcastle will finish above Aston Villa

Speaking on his podcast Seaman Says, the former England international discussed who will finish higher in the Premier League this season – Newcastle United or Aston Villa.

“Someone was saying the other day they would tip Villa for top four,” he said.

“But I would take Newcastle all day long over Villa.”

Two strong teams breaking the Premier League status quo

No matter who finishes higher, it is great to see two teams outside the alleged ‘big six’ upsetting the apple cart.

Obviously, we want Newcastle to finish higher, and qualifying for the Champions League for a second season in a row would be a remarkable achievement.

But to do that is going to be extremely difficult, as Eddie Howe looks to manage expectations and compete on multiple fronts. Emery has the same problem at Villa, with his side competing in the Europa Conference League.

Given how well we did last season and our start to the new campaign, it is easy to understand why Seaman still thinks we will finish above Villa, regardless of how well they are doing. We are doing well too, and that is despite an incredibly challenging fixture list that has seen Newcastle go toe-to-toe with the best.