Aston Villa star anticipating ‘very tough’ Newcastle United test following ‘boxing match’ pre-season clash

St James’ Park will play host to what promises to be a very intriguing opening day encounter between Newcastle United and Aston Villa on Saturday. Both teams enjoyed very good seasons last term, resulting in qualification for European football.

The pair will almost certainly be in the mix for a spot in Europe this season and both will want to get off to the perfect start on Saturday. With pre-season preparations now complete - which included a pulsating 3-3 draw between the two in the Premier League Summer Series - both teams will now look forward to what promises to be an engaging encounter at St James’ Park.

One man who also believes Saturday’s game could be a great spectacle is Villa midfielder John McGinn. McGinn has revealed that he is expecting similar excitement to their meeting in Philadelphia when the two clash on Saturday.

McGinn said: “We’re all looking forward to it. It’s a really tough game to start with; they’re a good side at home and our record there isn’t great.

“We’re in a good place and hopefully preparation continues to go as good as it has been. We’re all excited and looking forward to getting up there.

“We had a great game over in America; we showed our qualities and they came back at us with theirs. It was a bit like a boxing match. It ended in a draw, which was a fair result in the end.

“Once they get that place going it’s rocking. We need to be at our best to win but we’re going there to get the three points, and the full squad believe we can do that.”