Spanish coach Unai Emery, head coach of Aston Villa, and his English counterpart Eddie Howe, coach of Newcastle United, announced the official lineups for their teams ahead of their match today at Villa Park, as part of the first round of the 2025/2026 English Premier League season.

Goalkeeper: Marco Birot

Defense: Didier, Tyrone Mings, Azri Konsa, Matty Cash

Midfield: Amadou Onana, Aboubakar Kamara, John McGinn, Youri Tielemans, Morgan Rogers

Defense: Kieran Trippier, Fabian Schär, Dan Burn, Tino Livramento

Midfield: Bruno Guimarães, Sandro Tonali, De Lira

Attack: Anthony Ing, Anthony Gordon, Harvey Barnes.

Aston Villa enters the match after a positive preparation period, showing technical and physical balance during their summer preparations. The team played five friendly matches, achieving three wins, one draw, and one loss, reflecting good readiness to start official competitions.

On the other hand, Newcastle United faced clear challenges during preparation, failing to win any friendly matches, suffering three defeats and two draws, raising questions about the team’s readiness and ability to compete strongly against Aston Villa at the start of the season.

Both teams aim to capitalize on the league start to secure the first three points and boost players’ and fans’ confidence amid an enthusiastic atmosphere at Villa Park, hoping to mark a strong start that lays the foundation for a successful season.

The English Football Association assigned referee Craig Pawson to manage the match, assisted by linesmen Konstantinos Hatzidakis and Nicholas Hopton, with Simon Hooper as the fourth official. Video Assistant Referee (VAR) is led by referee Peter Bankes, assisted by Tim Robinson.