Aston Villa v Newcastle: 5 Key Battles

Villa Park plays host to what could be a potentially very entertaining game on Saturday afternoon when Newcastle make the trip down to Birmingham to face the Villains. Both managers have almost full squads to pick from and should have very strong starting teams. The international break will have given the squads more time to train with each other and prepare for the fixture. Some of the newer squad members from both teams will have had the opportunity to bond further with their new team mates. Fans will be hoping both squads are feeling invigorated by the international break and are ready to get back down to the nitty gritty of Premier League action. Aston Villa have had a tough start in terms of fixtures although they have performed more than admirably in the three games to date. They currently sit a solitary point below Newcastle in 13th place after successive hard fought defeats. One place and one point above Villa sit Newcastle, after successive clean sheets following the opening day away drubbing at Manchester City. Ahead of this game I am going to look at five key battles that might decide the outcome of this match. Likely Line-UpsAston Villa: Guzan, Lowton, Vlaar, Okore, Luna; Westwood, Delph, Bacuna; Weimann, Benteke, Agbonlahor. €“ Deployed as a 4-3-3 Newcastle: Krul, Debuchy, Coloccini, Yanga-Mbiwa, Santon; Tiote, Sissoko, Cabaye; Ben Arfa, Cisse, Remy. €“ Deployed as a 4-3-3 click "next" to see 5 key battles.