Erring on the side of caution: Our predicted Newcastle United XI to face Aston Villa on Sunday

Newcastle United take on Aston Villa on Sunday in the Premier League. The game gets underway at 2 pm at St James' Park, live on Sky Sports.

Newcastle will be hoping to put a dent in the 10-point gap between the two sides and to consolidate their hard-earned place in the top half of the table after languishing in the wrong half for much of the season.

The big worry for Eddie Howe going into this one is the injury Bruno Guimaraes picked up in the win over PSV on Wednesday.

Howe didn't sound overly confident that his skipper would be available for this game, so we're erring on the side of caution with our team selection, with Bruno being the only change from Wednesday's win.

Goalkeeper

Nick Pope - Two clean sheets in a row. It's been a while since we've seen that. Can he make it three?

Defenders

Kieran Trippier (c) - Tripps looked good on Wednesday night and we'll need his leadership on Sunday in Bruno's absence.

Malick Thiaw - About as essential a player as it gets this season.

Sven Botman - Finding his form again, and reestablishing that partnership with Thiaw.

Lewis Hall - Our absolute shining light. Undroppable.

Midfielders

Lewis Miley - Didn't look out of place for a moment deputising for Bruno on Wednesday. Ended the game as captain. Keeps getting better.

Sandro Tonali - It was an improved performance on Wednesday, but there's still a way to go before he's back to his best.

Joelinton - Thankfully back to what we know from the Brazilian Beast after a slow start to the campaign.

Forwards

Harvey Barnes - Still looks like our biggest goal threat. His confidence in front of goal is something our centre-forwards need to take note of.

Yoane Wissa - Still not fully match fit, but he was outstanding on Wednesday night. As long as he's still got plenty in the tank, he can be a nuisance on Sunday.

Anthony Gordon - Got a goal from open play in midweek, a rarity this season, now he needs to replicate it in the Premier League to end the year-long drought.