Barkley hopes Fenerbahce rout can spark Aston Villa's league revival
Barkley hopes Fenerbahce rout can spark Villa's league revival
Ross Barkley believes a confidence-boosting win over Fenerbahce in the Champions League could be the result Aston Villa needed to kickstart their Premier League season, with Unai Emery's side now preparing for a trip to St James' Park to face Newcastle United this Saturday.
Villa recorded their biggest ever win in major European competition on Wednesday with a 6-0 victory at Villa Park. Barkley scored twice in the second half, while Johan Manzambi marked his Champions League debut with a goal and two strikes from the in-form Nicolas Jackson had Villa cruising going into the break. Barkley tucked away a 68th-minute penalty before bringing up his brace soon after, and Tammy Abraham's close-range finish added further gloss late on.
Villa eye league recovery
Attention now turns to the Premier League, where Villa are 16th ahead of matchday seven and aim to secure their second league win of the season. Barkley is confident the form will improve.
"It was a great performance overall by the team, and we needed this result," Barkley said. "We're still gelling, we've got loads of new players, we're all getting on the same page on the training pitch, and we worked well.
"We've got loads of top players in the squad, new additions, and it was nice to play in the game and chip in with a couple of goals to build some confidence within the team.
"Maybe it surprises teams here, with the atmosphere. It's intense. The fans get behind us if we win our duels, and that's why John McGinn is so key for us. He wins duels, gets us going, he's passionate, and he lifts the fans and the team. We were fantastic today, and hopefully we can keep building on that."
Newcastle arrive after Coventry shock
Newcastle come into the clash off a disappointing 4-1 defeat to newly-promoted Coventry City earlier this week. Jack Rudoni and Sidiki Cherif put Coventry two goals up early in the second half, and a thunderbolt from Sven Botman threatened a comeback before Ellis Simms and Stephen Mfuni scored in five minutes to seal the win, leaving Matthias Jaissle's side short of fourth place.
The result meant Newcastle conceded four or more goals in back-to-back Premier League away games for the first time since December 2012. Nico Gonzalez felt the scoreline flattered Coventry.
"We had clear chances to draw. We improved on many things, but there are things we have to work on," Nico told Sky Sports. "I think it's normal in this league that there are always goals in the last minute. Everyone goes forward, and it's hard to keep defending as well as the first minutes.
"The result is not what happened in the game. I've seen so many games where it's 2-1 and you draw. I don't feel concerned. We've done many things right."
Players to watch
Harvey Barnes (Newcastle): Barnes has been involved in 10 goals in 13 Premier League games against Villa (six goals, four assists), his joint-most against any opponent, along with West Ham.
Nicolas Jackson (Aston Villa): Jackson's brace against Fenerbahce made him the first player to score in as many as four of his first five Champions League starts since Sebastien Haller in December 2021. The Senegal international has also scored in his last two Premier League games.
Match prediction and statistics
Opta's supercomputer favours Newcastle, who are winless in their last three Premier League games against Villa (D1 L2), losing 2-0 in the most recent meeting. Newcastle have gone 12 consecutive Premier League games without a clean sheet at St James' Park, and have conceded 13 league goals this season, their third-most after six matches since 1999-00.
Villa's defence is also a concern: they have conceded 11 Premier League goals in six games this season, their most at this stage of a top-flight season since 1986-87. It could be a landmark day for Emery, who has won 99 of his 196 Premier League games. A victory would make him the joint-ninth fastest manager to 100 Premier League wins.
Opta win probability
- Newcastle United: 41.5%
- Draw: 26.7%
- Aston Villa: 31.8%