Unai Emery says Newcastle United are a similar level to PSG ahead of crucial Premier League clash

Unai Emery's Aston Villa play host to Newcastle United in the Premier League on Saturday, kick-off is 5:30pm live on Sky Sports.

The Aston Villa man has played a big part in Newcastle United's upturn in fortune since the PIF-backed takeover. Unai Emery turned down the Newcastle job, leaving the door open for Eddie Howe to step in, and the rest is history. Cup-winning history, in fact.

A few months later, Emery did take up a role in the Premier League, taking over at Aston Villa where he has done a superb job, almost Eddie Howe-esque, but not quite.

However, he may have turned down the chance to manage the Magpies, but he's full of compliments for the side Eddie Howe has built.

Unai Emery has compared Newcastle to PSG

Speaking to the media (via Vavel) ahead of Newcastle's visit, Unai Emery has compared the Magpies to their midweek Champions League opponents, Paris Saint-Germain.

“Tomorrow’s match is our objective, and the level that they have is similar level as PSG’s team.

“The first step is tomorrow. The first three points we will face against favourites to be in the top five, because they are now really performing very well, they are winning a lot of matches in a row, getting a lot of points. They are now in their best moment. They are performing very well, they are winning matches, they are feeling confident, they are feeling so strong. They have five points more than us.”

Many people are expecting an exciting game on Saturday, so you know what that means

Tomorrow's clash has all the hallmarks of a classic, so be prepared for a very dull game that will be won by a single goal.

Hopefully, it lives up to the billing, and it's a good game with plenty of chances, most of which fall to and are taken by Newcastle, obviously.

A second-place finish is calling us. Let's keep the pressure on. Beating Aston Villa would send a huge message to the chasing pack.