Aston Villa are heading to Villa Park on Saturday, February the 14th, 2026 to host Newcastle United – and kick-off is at 5:45 in the afternoon GMT (6:45 over in WAT). This is a big FA Cup fourth-round tie with an all-Premier League line-up – and it’s Unai Emery’s high-flying Villa mob, third in the league, taking on Eddie Howe’s Magpies, who just got out of a slump with a win at Tottenham but are still mid-table and nursing a long injury list. Villa won the league fixture at St James’ Park 2-0 in January of this year and are looking to make some progress in the cup after getting to the semis last season.
Match Summary
Aston Villa are right up there in the running for Champions League spots, still unbeaten at home and coming off a gritty 1-0 win over Brighton in the Premier League. They’ve been looking solid at the back and clinical up front – and they’ve also had a decent cup run so far, including a 2-1 third-round win over Tottenham. Newcastle, on the other hand, are down the table in 10th place, ended a five-game losing run with a surprise 2-1 win at Spurs but they’ve struggled on the road in the cup against top teams and have conceded loads in recent games.
The league clash at Villa Park saw the home side dominate and they’ve generally come out on top in their recent head-to-heads. It’s going to be a lively atmosphere at Villa Park for this cup tie – both teams are after silverware and there are sure to be plenty of goals in what should be an open and competitive match. Over 2.5 goals is looking like a decent bet given their recent form.
Head-to-head: Villa have won the last couple of games, including the 2-0 league thrashing, which means they’re the favourites despite Newcastle’s spirit.
Possible Lineups
Aston Villa (4-2-3-1): Bizot up in goal behind a back-four of Bogarde, Konsa/Lindelof, Torres and Digne – and Onana and Luiz in midfield. The trio of Bailey, Rogers and Buendia will look to create some chances up front alongside Abraham.
Unai Emery’s got a few injury worries to contend with – Boubacar Kamara, Youri Tielemans, John McGinn are all out in midfield, plus possibly Matty Cash and he’ll have to make do without Douglas Luiz’s return to fitness still being confirmed. Morgan Rogers and Emiliano Buendia have been playing really well and will be looking to make an impact.
Newcastle United (4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1): Pope/Ramsdale in goal behind a back four of Trippier, Thiaw, Botman and Hall – and Tonali, Willock and Ramsey in midfield. Barnes and Woltemade out wide with Gordon up front.
Eddie Howe’s got a mountain to climb with a number of key players out – Bruno Guimarães and Joelinton are both long-term casualties and there are more concerns around Fabian Schär, Tino Livramento, Emil Krafth and others. Harvey Barnes and Anthony Gordon are quick and will look to catch Villa on the break, while Jacob Ramsey is important in the middle of the park.
Prediction
Aston Villa are clear favourites for this one – their good league form, home advantage and recent dominance over Newcastle give them the edge. With Morgan Rogers and the front-line trio causing Newcastle problems, and the Villa defence looking solid, it’s hard to see the visitors getting the win. Harvey Barnes will likely be a threat on the break for Newcastle and they might squeeze a goal in, but Villa’s motivation to win the cup and their quality should see them through in a tight, exciting game.
Final score prediction: Aston Villa 2-1 Newcastle United
