The view from Aston Villa ahead of their visit to face Newcastle United at St James' Park

Newcastle United will look to return to winning ways on Saturday evening when they welcome Aston Villa to St James' Park in the Premier League.

Matthias Jaissle will be looking for a response from his side after a brutal 4-1 defeat to newly promoted Coventry City on Monday evening but they will have to produce it against an Aston Villa side who will be buoyed by their 6-0 win over Fenerbahce in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Unai Emery's side have faced much of the same challenges Newcastle have in the transfer market and like the Magpies sold Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes in the summer, Villa lost Emi Martinez, Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans, Ezri Konsa. Lucas Digne and Ollie Watkins.

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While the Magpies signed eight new players all aged 24 and under, Villa made 11 signings of their own, with the likes of Johan Manzambi, Zion Suzuki, Joao Gomes and Nicolas Jackson all moving to Villa Park having also been monitored by the Magpies.

Suzuki was a goalkeeper Newcastle liked before ultimately signing Lukas Hornicek while Manzambi choosing the West Midlands over the North East was a bitter blow for the Magpies just before Eddie Howe left the club.

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Villa were also tentatively linked with a move for Newcastle winger Harvey Barnes in the summer before the 28-year-old penned a new deal at St James' Park and it all makes for a very new feel to a fixture that has been hotly contested across the last three seasons.

With that in mind, Chronicle Live spoke to John Townley, Aston Villa reporter at the Birmingham Mail, to get the lowdown on the Villans ahead of Saturday's clash.

From the outside looking in, Villa’s start to the season has been a mixed bag. Is that fair?

"Villa were always likely to start the season slowly, much like last campaign. They lost over half of the starting XI that played in the Europa League final and hadn’t completed their transfer business until deadline day. With so much change, there was bound to be a lag in terms of results and performances.

"However, it’s now just one defeat in seven games across all competitions for Villa, and that came against Nottingham Forest, when Villa were down to 10 men in the closing stages of a 2-1 home defeat. A mixed bag of results, yes, but there’s a feeling of excitement given the talent the club recruited over the summer."

Like Newcastle, Villa went through a lot of change in the summer and lost some big players. How much frustration is there with the spending rules and the fact they weren’t able to kick on after winning the Europa League?

"There is huge frustration that Villa can’t spend like their Champions League-chasing rivals, but Unai Emery has been keen not to use that as an excuse – which is the right approach. Instead, Villa are focusing on their strengths: the manager, Villa Park and the club’s culture. All of that has led to huge success over the last four years."

Johan Manzambi is a player who almost joined Newcastle in the summer. How has he started at Aston Villa?

"He missed the first few weeks of the season due to a knee injury, but after a couple of appearances off the bench, he started the final match before the international break against Tottenham, scoring and assisting in a 3-2 win.

"He looks the real deal and celebrated his 21st birthday with a goal on his Champions League debut last time out. Newcastle will probably feel he’s one that got away as the season progresses."

Likewise, Zion Suzuki is a player Newcastle liked, but they ultimately opted to sign Lukas Hornicek. How has he fared so far?

"Suzuki has been something of a revelation for Villa, particularly with his distribution. Emi Martinez is a Villa legend for what he achieved with the club, yet I don’t think you’d find a Villa fan who’d now swap the Argentine for Suzuki.

"That’s not a sentence I thought I’d be writing before the start of the season. Villa’s new number one has also made several important saves, including against Spurs and Fenerbahce when the score was 2-0."

Harvey Barnes was tentatively linked with Villa before he signed a new contract at Newcastle. How substantial was that interest?

"Villa’s interest in Barnes first became known in the summer when he left Leicester for Newcastle. My information at the time was that he was keen to stay in the Midlands, but a move to Villa never materialised. Since then, talk of Villa’s interest in Barnes has been played down by people within the club, particularly rumours of him being used in a swap deal for Jacob Ramsey."

What is your score prediction for Saturday?

"Villa have scored three goals in each of their last three away games, while Newcastle have scored two or more in each of their home matches this season. I’ll say 2-2."