The last time Newcastle United beat Aston Villa, Steve Bruce was managing the opposition.
Ever since he left Villa Park, the West Midlands side have been on the up.
After narrowly avoiding relegation last season, Dean Smith’s side have really kicked on. They’re playing great football this season, and are shockingly challenging for Europe.
Bruce even acknowledged the rise of his former team, noting how it coincided with his departure.
Now at St James’ Park, Bruce is under serious pressure to turn things around.
The atmosphere among fans has been toxic for a while, but the board continue to stick by the manager.
A defeat to Villa could signal the end of Bruce, but we’ve said that before and watched on in shock as he continues as boss.
While Newcastle will be without their three best attackers, Aston Villa are also missing their talisman.
Smith confirmed ahead of the game that Jack Grealish won’t be involved. However, Toon fans are still worried about the threat the away side will pose.
And some Aston Villa fans feel the same. While losing Grealish is a blow for them, they still feel like they should be able to get a result against a ‘Steve Bruce team’.
Villa have kicked on since he left, but a lot of fans still want to get one over on their former manager. Sadly, no cabbages will be involved this evening.
Aston Villa fans ready to get one over former boss Bruce
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