Premier League Gameweek 7 brings Newcastle United and Aston Villa together at St James' Park on 17 October 2026, with both clubs sitting in the lower half of the table after patchy starts. Neither side can afford to keep dropping points if they want any part of the top half before winter.
Matthias Jaissle and Unai Emery have never faced each other competitively, Jaissle having only taken charge at Newcastle in early August 2026 after replacing Eddie Howe, while Emery has been at Villa since November 2022 when he replaced Steven Gerrard.
Newcastle arrive having won two, drawn one and lost two of their last five across all competitions, with their most recent outing a grim 1-4 Premier League defeat to Coventry City on 12 October. Villa come in with far better momentum, winning three of their last five, capped by a 6-0 Champions League demolition of Fenerbahce on 14 October.
Newcastle are short handed going into this one, with Anthony Elanga (hamstring), Jacob Ramsey (thigh), Ewen Jaouen (hamstring) and Tino Livramento (thigh/knee) all out alongside the unavailable Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes. Bazoumana Toure is a further doubt with an ankle problem and the sheer volume of it leaves Jaissle needing some creative calls.
Villa's injury list is shorter but no less damaging. Amadou Onana is done until around June 2027 after rupturing his ACL, Ian Maatsen is out with an ankle issue until roughly November and Matteo Ruggeri will miss more than a month with a thigh or hamstring injury. Modou Keba Cisse is unavailable until around 23 October, while both George Hemmings and Brian Madjo are doubts.
Jaissle's Newcastle play a Red Bull influenced 4-2-3-1 built around relentless pressing, quick transitions and younger players taking on bigger roles. Harvey Barnes is the main creative outlet and will look to exploit gaps behind Villa's midfield, while Joseph Willock and Jacob Murphy operate alongside him and summer signing Matias Fernandez-Pardo, who needs to start contributing goals. Sven Botman anchors the back line.
Emery's side also sets up in a 4-2-3-1 but with a very different feel: structured, possession oriented and comfortable sitting deep before cutting teams apart on the break. Nicolas Jackson leads the line and arrives in form after a brace against Fenerbahce. John McGinn drives from midfield, Johan Manzambi plays the ten and already has a Champions League goal this season, Emiliano Buendia operates in the attacking line alongside him and Boubacar Kamara screens the back four.
The absences complicate both plans considerably. Newcastle losing Elanga, Ramsey, Jaouen and Livramento in one go strips wide and central midfield options, forcing Jaissle to lean heavily on Barnes and Willock. For Villa, Onana's long term absence weakens the midfield shield and losing Maatsen, Ruggeri and Cisse limits full back flexibility. The Barnes-Kamara battle may well settle the outcome: if Barnes can get past him consistently, Newcastle's transitions would start to breach Villa's defensive line. Botman against Jackson on the counter is the other one to watch.
Newcastle hold the historical edge, winning around 77 of the 178 meetings to Villa's 61 with roughly 40 draws. The recent run has been close to even: Newcastle won 3-1 in the FA Cup in February 2026, Villa won 2-0 in the Premier League in January 2026, the sides drew 0-0 in August 2025 and Villa came out 4-1 winners in April 2025.
Both 4-2-3-1 systems can generate wide overloads at set pieces and Newcastle's pressing intensity may produce dead ball opportunities if Villa make errors under pressure. With Newcastle 11th on 8 points from six games and Villa 16th on 5, both sides could genuinely do with the three points.
Newcastle's press should create enough to trouble Villa, especially if Barnes and Murphy find any rhythm given how short staffed Jaissle is elsewhere. But Emery's side showed against Fenerbahce they do not panic when teams come at them. Jackson arrives off a brace in midweek and for Villa the goal threat is real if Botman has an off day. The absences on both sides make goals harder to come by, though and if Kamara wins that midfield battle, Barnes loses his primary avenue through the middle and Newcastle's attack runs thin quickly. A draw is the most likely result, with the 1-1 scoreline reflecting just how evenly matched the two sets of problems are.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
