Newcastle is coming into this 1st match of the season after a very good season where they finished in 4th place and earned themselves a Champions League spot. They proved themselves as a dominant force in the Premier League last season and have only improved their team this year to stay as dominant as they were, especially when they had one of the best defenses in the league. They did not allow many goals at all and even in their recent friendlies as they get ready for the season, they have played very well in those winning their last 3 straight as well as 5 of their last 7 matches with no losses. They have not allowed a goal in their last 2 matches either as their defense is starting to ramp up for this 1st match now. Newcastle is going to have a lot more on their plate this season with European competition now and depth could become an issue later in the year so they will be hungry to open their season with a win at home and get out to a great start before their schedule gets condensed with more matches and more competitions to play in. They are going up against an Aston Villa side that finished in 7th place last season as they were also playing very well toward the end of the year. As well as they were playing to end the season, they still struggled away from home in matches where they needed the points as they lost 2 of their last 3 away matches with no wins in their last 4 straight away matches to end last season. Even when these two play each other it has been very home dominated recently as the home team has won the last 4 straight Premier League meetings with Newcastle winning 2 of the last 3. Newcastle is going to win this match at home and collect all 3 points here.