Eddie Howe said his Newcastle United side are “in a much better place” but insisted he will only enjoy the hectic Christmas schedule if his side are successful, starting with Aston Villa on Boxing Day.
The Magpies beat Ipswich Town last time out to win back-to-back Premier League games, as many as they had done in their previous eleven top-flight games (W2 D4 L5).
Newcastle climbed to seventh in the standings after their win at Portman Road, four points clear of the top four, and Howe is hopeful his team can continue their winning momentum.
“Winning changes everything. I'll enjoy the Christmas period if we're successful. If we're not, then I probably won't. But I don't think that's any different to any other time of year,” Howe said .
“It changes the emotions of the players. The challenge for us is to get every player in the best frame of mind. We have seen an improvement in the whole squad since the start of the season.”
“We are in a much better place. But it is important that we don't get distracted and concentrate. We have some brilliant games to enjoy, but we will only enjoy them when we are at our best.”
In the opening match of the final round of the Premier League, Aston Villa delivered a stunning 2-1 defeat to out-of-form Manchester City at Villa Park.
The result saw the Villans win consecutive home league games against the Citizens for the first time since April 1993, with Jhon Duran and Morgan Rogers on target for the hosts.
It was a particularly impressive performance from Rogers, who also set up Duran's opening match and became the fourth Villa player to score a goal and an assist against City in the Premier League.
He finished the match with more shots (four) and touches in the penalty area (six) than any of his teammates, with only John McGinn (four) creating more chances than Rogers (two).
The 22-year-old has been one of Villa's standouts so far this season but put his recent form down to manager Unai Emery after joining from Middlesbrough last February.
“Every day he pushes me. He doesn't give me a second off. He wants the best for me and that is perfect for me,” Rogers said.
“We have a good working relationship. I'm not the only one he has improved. I want to continue that journey and see where it takes me.”
Villa face a potentially season-defining series of games before Christmas, with Brighton and Leicester City next after Newcastle, before games against Everton and Arsenal.
But Rogers is confident his team's victory over Pep Guardiola's side can help build momentum to move them closer to the Champions League places.
“We had a series of tough games and we weren't playing at the level we liked, and we had to juggle the new competition. [Champions League] was a new challenge,” he concludes.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Newcastle-Alexander Isak
Isak's first hat-trick at Newcastle last year took him to 23 Premier League goals in 2024, with only Erling Haaland (26) and Cole Palmer (25) scoring more in the competition.
The only Newcastle players to score more in the league in a single calendar year are Alan Shearer (27 in 2002) and Andrew Cole (24 in 1994).
Aston Villa-Jhon Duran
And the match could be decided between the two European hopefuls at the top end of the pitch, with Villa's Duran also in good form and proving his worth from the start.
Only Chris Wood (five) has scored more winning goals in the Premier League this season than Duran (four), while the Colombian has the best minutes-per-goal ratio in the league this season (one every 80 minutes).
MATCH PREDICTION: NEWCASTLE WIN
Newcastle are unbeaten in their last fifteen home Premier League games against Villa (W9 D6), since a 3-0 defeat in April 2005. They have won the last three in a row by an aggregate score of 10-1.
After a run of two wins in eleven Premier League games, Newcastle have won both of their last two games 4-0 (against Leicester and Ipswich). The Magpies have never before won three league games in a row by more than four goals, while Manchester City became the last team to do so in the Premier League in May 2022.
However, the Magpies have endured a Christmas hangover in recent years, losing their last three home games on Boxing Day, including a 3-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest last year. It is their longest losing streak in their league history.
Villa, meanwhile, has lost their last four away games in the Premier League, as many as in their previous seventeen away games (W9 D4). They last lost more consecutive away from home in a single campaign between February and May 2016 (seven).
The Villans have also lost four of their last five Premier League games against Newcastle (W1), including both meetings last season. They last lost three times in a row against the Magpies between January 2013 and February 2014.
And both sides will be desperate for a win to continue their forward momentum. However, both Newcastle (16) and Aston Villa (15) have lost more Premier League games on Boxing Day than any other team in the competition's history.
OPTA CHANCE OF WINNING
Newcastle – 46.8%
Draw – 26.4%
Aston Villa – 26.8%
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