Newcastle United stars preview ‘tough’ test of European credentials against in-form Aston Villa

Unai Emery’s side have won six of their last seven, taking 19 points from a possible 21, to force themselves into the conversation for European football next season. Villa have enjoyed a remarkable turnaround under Emery since taking charge of the club three days after Newcastle’s 4-0 win over the Villains at St James’ Park.

The Magpies won’t find things as easy this time around however and Dan Burn, who made his debut for Newcastle against Villa back in February last year, believes this weekend will provide a stern test of his side’s European credentials: “Really tough game. Villa’s always a tough place to go and Emery’s done very well.” Burn said.

“They’ll be full of confidence. They’ll be up for it but yeah, we’ll have a good rest and prepare.”

Eight days after Newcastle make the trip to Villa Park, they host Tottenham Hotspur in what could be a pivotal game in the race for a Champions League place. Going into this weekend’s round of games, Spurs sit in 5th place, three points behind the Magpies.

It is set to be a huge game at St James’ Park, however, Bruno Guimaraes has insisted that the team are solely focussing on their next challenge. Guimaraes said: "We are not thinking about Tottenham now. Our focus is to get some rest and think about Aston Villa. They are playing very well.”