Premier League make official announcement ahead of Aston Villa vs Newcastle United, it’s bad news for one team

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Newcastle United travel to Villa Park on Saturday evening in a huge game in the race for the Champions League.

Both teams are going into the game on a high, the Magpies have won their last six in all competitions, while opponents Aston Villa are currently enjoying a run of four straight wins in the Premier League.

Newcastle United are currently third in the Premier League table and can move within a point of Arsenal this weekend if other results go their way.

With six games to go this season, the table is looking good for the Magpies, but assistant manager Jason Tindall is aware that there is still a long way to go before they can call themselves a Champions League team once again.

Unai Emery compared Newcastle to PSG in his pre-match press conference, showing the Spaniard is not taking the game lightly with lots still to play for. Alan Pardew warned Newcastle about Villa, saying the game will be incredibly tough given that their opponents have only lost once at home all season.

Newcastle are looking to cement their place in the top five, while Villa are keen to pick up the three points and move closer to European qualification.

However, a new announcement ahead of the Premier League weekend means that one team will be disappointed.

• READ MORE – How to watch Aston Villa vs Newcastle United: TV channel, live stream, team news and predictions

Premier League confirms refereeing appointment for Aston Villa vs Newcastle United

Ahead of the Premier League’s 33rd gameweek, it was confirmed that referee Jarred Gillett will be the man with the whistle for Newcastle’s visit to Villa Park.

The appointment looks normal on paper, but it actually spells bad news for the Magpies’ opponents. Gillett has been at the centre of three questionable decisions involving the Villains this season.

Gillett showed Villa ace John McGinn a yellow card against Brentford in March after coming together between the Scotland international and Yoan Wissa. Shortly after, replays showed that McGinn was nowhere near his opponent.

The Magpies have also had their run-ins with Gillett this season. During Newcastle’s win against Nottingham Forest in February, the ball struck defender Ola Aina’s arm inside the area, but Gillett waved away appeals. It was not until VAR intervened that Newcastle were awarded the penalty, which Alexander Isak converted.

This weekend, Gillett will have the help of Lee Betts and Sian Massey-Ellis alongside fourth official Farai Hallam. Semi-automated offside technology will be in use once again after its introduction earlier in April.

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Jarred Gillett made history during a Newcastle United game

Saturday’s trip to Villa Park will be the third time Gillett has refereed a game involving Newcastle this season, with his first being a 1-1 draw with Manchester City at St James’ Park.

It will be the 13th occasion that the Australian has refereed a game involving Newcastle in his career, but no game may be more important than his first.

Gillett made history in 2021 by becoming the first referee born outside of the British Isles to referee a Premier League game. The match in question was Newcastle’s trip to Watford in September 2021.

The Magpies drew that game 1-1, but there was another iconic moment to come out of it. Jacob Murphy missed a sitter deep into stoppage time to win the game. BBC Newcastle commentators Matthew Raisbeck and John Anderson were in disbelief, with the latter even shouting, “Just put it in the net!”.

Murphy recreated Anderson’s line in a recent video for Newcastle’s YouTube channel, showing he took the comments well in the end.