Newcastle United make the trip to the West Midlands to take on Aston Villa on Monday night holding a four-point advantage over their hosts in the Premier League table.

Having suffered three successive defeats in the top flight, Villa will head into the encounter sitting in 17th position.

Match preview

While there have been times this season when Newcastle supporters have criticised the appointment of Steve Bruce, even the most pessimistic of fans will be encouraged by their club's recent form in the Premier League.

The 5-0 defeat away at Leicester City at the back end of September has acted as the catalyst for 10 points being recorded from five matches, which includes victories over Manchester United, West Ham United and Bournemouth respectively.

There have been occasions when the Magpies have rode their luck, although there is an argument that they should have prevailed by wider margins against the Hammers and Cherries.

Despite the wait for both Miguel Almiron and Allan Saint-Maximin to get on the scoresheet being prolonged, the pair have been a constant threat in the final third in recent outings, suggesting that it is only a matter of time before they make a more decisive contribution.

The two playmakers will feel that their time could come against a Villa side who were fortunate to only concede two goals in their last Premier League outing against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

While injuries to key men did not help last season's Championship playoff winners, Dean Smith was visibly concerned with his team's performance during the setback at Molineux.

That said, the international break came at the right time for Villa as they look to get back on track before several tough fixtures in succession against the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea, Leicester City and Sheffield United.

Smith will expect a reaction from his players on Monday night, although they will have to keep their discipline against a Magpies outfit who will look to play on the break.

Aston Villa form: WWLWLL

Newcastle United form: LWLDWW

Team News

Villa should be able to call upon Jack Grealish, who missed a number of games before the international break with a calf injury.

Goalkeeper Tom Heaton remains a doubt through a similar issue, although the Englishman returned to training earlier this week.

Bjorn Engels and Matt Targett are each expected to feature in defence after hip and head injuries respectively.

Newcastle will be forced into at least one alteration as a result of Jamaal Lascelles being ruled out until the end of 2019 with a fractured leg.

While Fabian Schar is closing in on a return to the backline, Paul Dummett appears to be the likely replacement for Lascelles on Monday night.

Sean Longstaff remains sidelined as he serves the final game of his three-match suspension.

Aston Villa possible starting lineup: Nyland; Guilbert, Engels, Mings, Targett; Nakamba, McGinn, Grealish; Ghazi, Trezeguet, Wesley

Newcastle United possible starting lineup: Dubravka; Yedlin, Fernandez, Clark, Dummett, Willems; Almiron, Shelvey, Hayden, Saint-Maximin; Joelinton

We say: Aston Villa 2-1 Newcastle United

While Villa have struggled for results in recent weeks, we feel that Smith's side are due a positive result. Newcastle have impressed since the beginning of October, but the return of key men could swing this fixture in the home team's favour.