Newcastle United have just been handed more motivation to beat Aston Villa this weekend

Add as preferred source on Google

Newcastle United take on Aston Villa in a huge Premier League clash on Saturday evening.

The Magpies can make it seven straight wins and solidify their place in the Champions League spots even further, but they must beat an Aston Villa side who have lost just once all season.

Newcastle United are favourites to qualify for the Champions League, that is according to the likes of Shay Given, Les Ferdinand and Roy Keane. A win on Saturday could put them eight points clear of sixth place with just five games to go.

While Newcastle are still enjoying a good run of form since their Carabao Cup win in March, Aston Villa have a point to prove following their Champions League elimination earlier this week.

Assistant manager Jason Tindall does not anticipate changing his Newcastle side, even though Anthony Gordon is fully fit. Harvey Barnes‘ sensational form for Newcastle effectively makes him undroppable for Tindall.

Former head coach Alan Pardew warned Newcastle of Villa’s home form ahead of the game, but a new statistic has shown why it is not just a return to the Champions League the Magpies are fighting for.

• READ MORE – Shay Given delivers early ‘massive’ Aston Villa vs Newcastle United prediction

Newcastle United heading for away wins record

Newcastle took a while to find their true form in the Premier League this season. While there were very few defeats, Eddie Howe’s men found wins hard to come by at times. Even when they were winning, it was after going behind.

However, their fantastic run of wins during the winter months has seen their fortunes turn, and now the slow start to the season has been completely forgotten about.

While St James’ Park has become a fortress this season, their away form is also admirable. As it stands, the Magpies have won 50% of their away games in the 2024/25 campaign. With three more games on the road to go, the Athletic have shared that Newcastle are now just one win away from matching the club record for Premier League away wins in a single season.

The existing record was set by Sir Bobby Robson’s Newcastle side when they won nine away matches (47.4%) where they finished fourth. Kevin Keegan’s 1993/94 Newcastle also won nine games away from home, but that Premier League season had 42 matches.

After Villa, Newcastle have trips to Brighton & Hove Albion and Arsenal left to play. With that record on the horizon, Tindall’s men have been handed even more motivation to bring the three points back to Tyneside.

Newcastle United’s unprecedented Premier League rise

In early December, Newcastle were mid-table without the Champions League in sight. Now, the Magpies could be just a couple of wins away from returning to Europe’s top competition.

Newcastle currently sit third in the Premier League table, just four points off Arsenal in second. Fans will be hoping that they can get the three points to move closer to second and establish a bigger gap to those below them.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	LiverpoolLiverpool	32	23	7	2	74	31	43	76
2	ArsenalArsenal	32	17	12	3	57	27	30	63
3	NewcastleNewcastle	32	18	5	9	61	40	21	59
4	Nottm ForestNottingham Forest	32	17	6	9	51	38	13	57

While the last few games have been impressive, Newcastle’s form in the last 25 games has been sublime.

Only Liverpool has picked up more points than Howe’s side in the last 25 games, with the Magpies also one of just two teams to score over 50 goals in that time.

In the last 15 games, Liverpool have only won one more point than Newcastle, showing that the Magpies are currently in the form of a title contender. Had it not been for their slow start to the season, who knows whether Newcastle could have been fighting for more than just Champions League football.