After a nightmarish pre-season, Newcastle United faces another major hurdle when it gets its Premier League campaign up and running at Aston Villa on Saturday.

Newcastle and Aston Villa in Striker Transfer BattleTransfer windows often provide storylines filled with intrigue and speculation, and this summer is proving no different. According to TeamTalk,

Unai Emery has confirmed Ross Barkley and Andres Garcia remain injured for Aston Villa’s visit to Brentford. Both players did not feature on the opening weekend of the campaign against Newcastle United and are absent this weekend too.

Unai Emery and Villa have been hamstring by the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules (PSR), and have enjoyed a quiet window so far after their hectic winter. Things surely would’ve played out differently had they usurped Newcastle in the table on the final day.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Villa has begun to explore what it would take to acquire the striker from Chelsea.

Preview the matchup between Aston Villa and Newcastle United with predictions, odds, over/under, betting lines and more.

Emery outlined his desire to have “two players in every position” but admitted more sales are not out of the question.

Having been pipped by Newcastle to a Champions League spot at the end of last season, Aston Villa has the opportunity to exact revenge at home today as it hosts the Magpies in this first Saturday fixture of the new English Premier League campaign.

This Newcastle Vs Liverpool Bet Builder pays 9/1 with Bet365 . Isak's absence from Eddie Howe's line-up at Villa Park was evident, as the Magpies drew a blank against the home side, who had Ezri Konsa sent off in the 66th minute.

Newcastle couldn't find a winner as Villa ended the game with 10 players and will be much happier with the point.

Manager Unai Emery has been pushing for his return, convinced the 28-year-old can add creativity, experience, and extra quality to the attack. Villa’s pursuit has also been boosted by Jacob Ramsey’s £40 million move to Newcastle United, which opened up both the funds and the squad space needed to make the deal happen.