Aston Villa and Newcastle United meet in a highly-anticipated match on Saturday. The clubs face off during the opening week of the 2023-24 English Premier League (EPL) season. Each side enjoyed success a season ago, finishing in the top seven of the table, and the clubs also met in a friendly just a few weeks ago, drawing at 3-3. St. James Park will host the match, and it is arguably the most intriguing of the opening slate.
Newcastle are -145 favorites (risk $145 to win $100) in the latest Newcastle vs. Aston Villa odds, with Aston Villa +380 underdogs. A draw is priced at +280, and the over/under for total goals scored is 2.5. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. ET. Before locking in any Aston Villa vs. Newcastle United picks, make sure you check out the EPL predictions and betting advice from proven SportsLine soccer insider Martin Green.
After working in the sports betting industry for several years, Green became a professional sports writer and handicapper and has covered the game worldwide. Since last year's World Cup, Green has been profitable in multiple areas on his soccer picks, including the Champions League (+4.78 units), the FA Cup (+3.07) and the EFL Cup (+3.64), Euro 2024 qualifiers (+3.01) and Europa League (+1.60).
Now, Green has broken down the Newcastle United vs. Aston Villa matchup from every angle and locked in his EPL picks and predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are the betting lines and trends for Aston Villa vs. Newcastle:
- Newcastle vs. Aston Villa money line: Newcastle -145, Draw +280, Aston Villa +380
- Newcastle vs. Aston Villa spread: Newcastle -0.5 (-150)
- Newcastle vs. Aston Villa over/under: 2.5 goals
- NEW: Newcastle United finished fourth in the 2022-23 EPL table
- AV: Aston Villa finished seventh in the 2022-23 EPL table
- Newcastle vs. Aston Villa picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why you should back Newcastle United
Newcastle have the benefit of playing the EPL opener at St. James Park. Newcastle lost only two matches -- to Arsenal and Liverpool -- at home a year ago, and won 11 games with six draws. That included a 4-0 win over Aston Villa at St. James Park, and Aston Villa had a -5 goal differential in EPL road games. The Magpies finished No. 4 in the EPL table last season, winning 19 games in the process, and Newcastle's +35 goal differential ranked third in the league. It was the best run for the club in EPL action since 2003, and the club's talent is tremendous.
Callum Wilson is the offensive centerpiece, ranking in the top six of the EPL in goals (18), goals + assists (23), and goals per 90 minutes (0.86) last season. Newcastle also added Sandro Tonali from AC Milan during the transfer window, and the club has strong goalkeeping to boot. Nick Pope had the second-most clean sheets (14) in the EPL last season and finished No. 1 in the league in allowing only 0.88 clean sheets per 90 minutes. See which team to pick here.
Why you should back Aston Villa
Aston Villa are coming off a strong season, finishing No. 7 in the EPL table. The club picked up 18 wins and had a +5 goal differential, improving as the season progressed. Current manager Unai Emery led the squad to 15 wins in 27 games after he arrived, and Aston Villa are keyed by Ollie Watkins. He finished in the top eight of the EPL with 15 goals and 16.5 xG, with top-10 marks in goals + assists (21) and shots on target rate (53.6%).
Aston Villa also have strong additions with defender Pau Torres arriving from Villarreal, midfielder Youri Tielemans joining from Leicester City, and winger Moussa Diaby coming aboard from Bayer Leverkusen. Emiliano Martinez is stellar in goal with 11 clean sheets and a 74.2% save rate last season, and Aston Villa defeated Newcastle in the most recent EPL meeting, triumphing by a 3-0 margin in April. See which team to pick here.
How to make Aston Villa vs. Newcastle United picks
Green has scrutinized the Newcastle vs. Aston Villa match from every angle, and he is leaning Under on the goal total. He also has two best bets, including one that returns nearly +300, while offering a full breakdown of the match. He's only sharing his Premier League picks and analysis at SportsLine.
What are the best bets for Newcastle vs. Aston Villa on Saturday? Visit SportsLine now to see the best bets for Aston Villa vs. Newcastle, all from the European soccer expert who has been profitable in multiple areas since last year's World Cup, and find out.
