After a wonderful Tuesday night at St James' Park which saw Newcastle United demolish Everton 3-1 to claim consecutive victories for the first time this season, Newcastle are the hosts again this weekend as Steven Gerrard's Aston Villa roll into town.
Having just picked up two wins in a row for the first time, Eddie Howe's side immediately want to go one better and make it three, pulling them further away from the bottom three which they finally managed to escape on Tuesday evening.
Aston Villa had their own midweek fixture, as they played out a thrilling 3-3 draw with Leeds United at Elland Road. Gerrard's side had been behind before turning the game on its head to lead 3-1, only for Leeds to then peg them back again.
The game was costly for Villa aside from failing to pick up the win, as Emi Buendia picked up an injury as well as Ezri Konsa being given a red card for two bookable offences.
As they can't put out an unchanged side, Chronicle Live has predicted the XI most likely to be picked by Steven Gerrard:
Goalkeeper - Emi Martinez
Whilst the Argentine hasn't been the same imperious shot-stopper that he was last season, he's still clearly the number one for the Villains.
Full Backs - Matty Cash & Lucas Digne
Cash has nailed down the right back slot ever since moving to Villa from Nottingham Forest, whilst Digne was seen as an upgrade on Matt Targett in an attacking sense and has started every game since his move from Everton. This allowed Targett to move on loan to St James' Park.
Centre Backs - Tyrone Mings & Calum Chambers
Mings had a very poor night against Leeds but he is still the club captain, so expect him to start on the left side of the centre back pairing. Courtney Hause could come in for the suspended Konsa, but Chambers came on there for his debut since moving from Arsenal during the Leeds game after the red card, so that seems more likely.
Midfield - Douglas Luiz, John McGinn, Carney Chukwuemeka
This is the midfield three which ended the game against Leeds, rather than the one that started it. Jacob Ramsey started in midfield on Wednesday and scored twice in the first half, however when Buendia picked up an injury in the second half, Chukwuemeka came on and Ramsey shifted forward, which seems the most likely thing to happen on Sunday as Leon bailey is unlikely to be deemed fit to start.
Attacking Midfield - Phillipe Coutinho & Jacob Ramsey
Gerrard tends to prefer two narrow attacking midfielders rather than wingers, which is why Ramsey can shift forwards. Coutinho was devastating in the first-half against Leeds, scoring once and assisting twice as he drifted off the left. He tired in the second half but Newcastle will have to be extremely aware of his threat.
Striker - Ollie Watkins
Despite the fee paid to Southampton for Danny Ings, Watkins appears to be the first choice number nine at Villa Park. His all-round centre forward play is much more suited to the role than Ings, who seems to work best with a partner.
