Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has made a frank admission about his team's historical struggles at Newcastle United's St. James' Park, describing past visits as "horrible" ahead of today's crucial Premier League clash. The Spanish boss, however, insists his squad can draw significant confidence from the opportunity to extend their advantage over the Magpies to a substantial 13 points in the league table.
A Daunting Historical Record
Newcastle United boast an intimidating unbeaten run in their last 17 home league matches against Aston Villa, a sequence that includes four consecutive victories with an aggregate scoreline of 13-1. Villa's last triumph at St. James' Park dates back to 2005, a match infamously remembered for the on-field altercation between Newcastle players Kieron Dyer and Lee Bowyer, both of whom were sent off following a punch-up.
Emery's side arrives on Tyneside buoyed by a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Fenerbahce in Istanbul during midweek European competition. However, preparation time has been minimal, with Newcastle themselves enjoying a positive European result, having secured a home win against PSV in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Emery's Focus on Immediate Challenges
Despite suffering a disappointing league defeat to Everton last weekend, Aston Villa remain comfortably positioned inside the Premier League's top four. Emery has emphasised the need for his players to reset quickly after the emotional high of their success in Turkey.
"Football is each match, each competition, each performance, collectively and individually," Emery explained. "After we lost on Sunday against Everton, it was something we needed on Thursday to come back quickly, playing competitively like we are doing and feeling confidence again."
The manager expressed satisfaction with his team's response, highlighting their structural strength. "The players, individually and collectively, watched again our structure being strong. Thursday we did it, and I am so happy with how we performed, individually and collectively - we won but how we did our work."
Newcastle's Formidable Home Fortress
Newcastle United have started 2026 impressively, securing consecutive home victories against Crystal Palace and Leeds United. They are currently unbeaten in their last eight Premier League matches at St. James' Park, presenting a formidable challenge for any visiting team.
Emery acknowledged the scale of the task, stating, "Newcastle is a challenge, and a strong challenge. They started the season being contenders to be in the top positions for Europe and the Champions League. They are performing fantastic, in the Champions League they are doing fantastic, and at home they are feeling confident and strong."
Villa's Rise as Genuine Contenders
The Villa boss pointed to his team's own progression as a source of belief. "They started as a contender to be in the top-five - we didn't start as a contender to be in the top-five. Now we are. We are a team to try to beat."
With Villa sitting third in the table, Emery views this match as a critical opportunity to solidify their position. "We are third and we lost an opportunity to be second last week, but we are challenging one team like Newcastle. We want to try and get our position in the table," he continued.
Emery concluded with a forward-looking perspective, recognising the historical difficulty while focusing on the present moment. "Newcastle is always very difficult in their home. Historically in the last few years, it was horrible for us - really bad results. Each match, each season, each moment is an opportunity. I am looking forward to watching how we are facing them on Sunday."
