Aston Villa are obviously down and they have nothing to play for. But it’s a different story for Newcastle who are fighting to stay in the BPL. You look at the fact that Villa have lost 11 consecutive games and it’s not surprising that Newcastle are heavily backed as the favourites.
But I can’t miss the fact that Aston Villa were less nervous in their last games. They scored twice against both Southampton and Watford and I think that is relevant, the pressure is off them and they are starting to play with more freedom.
Whereas Newcastle have been slightly overrated lately: they beat a terrible Crystal Palace and got a point against Liverpool in a game that meant nothing to the hosts, who fielded mainly a reserve team. For that reason I think backing Villa with +1 handicap is a good bet. You can get that at 2.30 with William Hill.
All Gabriele Marcotti’s predictions can be found here. Subscribe to the Bookmaker Ratings’ YouTube channel and be the first to watch the experts’ tips!