Newcastle United’s line-up vs Aston Villa confirmed: Duo left out of squad as Allan Saint-Maximin returns

Newcastle United are unchanged from the 2-1 win at Tottenham Hotspur - as Allan Saint-Maximin returns to the bench. The Frenchman had missed eight of the Magpies’ last nine Premier League matches with a hamstring injury.

Nick Pope starts in between the sticks behind a back four of Kieran Trippier, Fabian Schar, Sven Botman and Dan Burn. Bruno Guimaraes, Joe Willock and Sean Longstaff form a three-man midfield with Joelinton, Miguel Almiron and Callum Wilson as the front three.

Elliot Anderson, who missed Newcastle’s win in North London but was declared fit ahead of Aston Villa’s visit to Tyneside, does not feature in the matchday squad. Jamal Lewis also drops out of the squad as Saint-Maximin returns.

"Last week, they did very well. I watched the game in depth and I thought they started with such a high intensity. You could sense, although I don’t watch the games with the volume on, the crowd and the vibe of the stadium was very good. They scored a couple of goals very quickly and you saw a team full of energy and enthusiasm.

“You could see the quality of their players as well and I think Aston Villa do have a very good squad,” Howe said on Friday. “We expect a very difficult game and know we’re going to have to be at our best, as we are in every Premier League game, to win. They’re going through this period where they’re waiting for their new manager to come in and we expect a reaction because of that."

Newcastle United XI: Nick Pope, Kieran Trippier, Fabian Schar, Sven Botman, Dan Burn, Bruno Guimaraes, Joe Willock, Sean Longstaff, Miguel Almiron, Joelinton, Callum Wilson. Subs: Loris Karius, Jamaal Lascelles, Jonjo Shelvey, Allan Saint-Maximin, Matt Targett, Javier Manquillo, Chris Wood, Ryan Fraser, Jacob Murphy.