'I can only see': Joe Cole makes big prediction ahead of Newcastle United's clash with Aston Villa
Newcastle United host Aston Villa in the Premier League this afternoon. Kick-off is at 2 pm live on Sky Sports.
The Magpies are looking to register their fifth consecutive home win against Villa, which will see the gap between the two sides reduced to seven points.
A win would see Newcastle leapfrog Liverpool in the table and could end the weekend as high as fourth place if Manchester United and Chelsea both lose.
It won't be an easy ask, obviously. Aston Villa aren't third in the table through luck, and the fact that we've beaten them at St James' Park the last four times means nothing when the referee blows that first whistle today.
Joe Cole backs Newcastle to do the business today
Former Chelsea man Joe Cole has been speaking about the fixture to Paddy Power (h/t The Mag), and he believes this week's European adventures will come into play today.
“This is a tricky one to figure out and I’m going to go with the side having an extra day’s rest. Aston Villa were in Turkey on Thursday and Newcastle had a great win at home against PSV. The prices are quite good because of Villa’s form but I can only see a Newcastle win.”
The fact that Villa were in action in Turkey on Thursday, while Newcastle had a home tie on Wednesday, could be a massive factor today.
The home crowd can play their part today
Whatever happens today, it has to be better than what we witnessed at Wolves last week when we blew the chance to leap up the table.
If the St James' Park crowd can recreate the noise they made on Wednesday against PSV, then they could be the twelfth and thirteenth man to get the lads over the line today.
The big question at the moment is whether Bruno Guimaraes will be fit enough to play a part today. That could be the big factor for Newcastle.
