Venue: Villa Park Date: Tuesday, 29th January K/o: 19:45
Team News
Aston Villa are set to welcome back Christian Benteke and Gabriel Agbonlahor after the duo were rested for Friday's FA Cup defeat by Millwall. Fabian Delph is missing with an ankle injury, however, but Richard Dunne and Nathan Baker are back in contention. Newcastle could hand debuts to the French contingent of Moussa Sissoko, Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, Yoan Gouffran and Massadio Haidara, and have no fresh injury concerns. Steven Taylor could feature after overcoming a hamstring injury he suffered back in November.
Match Preview
Aston Villa will have to dust themselves down following two successive domestic cup eliminations - they were dumped out of the League and FA Cup by Bradford and Millwall respectively in the space of just three days last week. Newcastle also go into this vital relegation scrap on the back of a shock defeat of their own - they were beaten 2-1 by fellow relegation rivals Reading in their last outing. The Magpies however will be buoyed by their recent acquisitions of a host of promising French players and manager Alan Pardew must now feel as though his team have finally turned a corner following a fairly traumatic January transfer window which saw him lose star striker Demba Ba. Villa on the other hand don't have any crumbs of comfort to cling on to. The club's policy of using such a young and inexperienced group of players is being called into question as Paul Lambert's side teeter dangerously close above the relegation trap door. This is a vital three-pointer for both beleaguered sides, and both will know that a draw simply isn't enough.
Likely Line-Ups
Aston Villa Guzan, Lowton, Clark, Lichaj, Vlaar, Holman, Bannan, Westwood, Ireland, Benteke, Agbonlahor
Newcastle Krul, Haidara, Coloccini, Yanga-Mbiwa, Debuchy, Cabaye, Sissoko, Marveaux, Gutierrez, Cisse, Gouffran Source:
BBC