Jamie Carragher predicts Aston Villa win vs Newcastle to give Unai Emery what he needs
Aston Villa host Newcastle at Villa Park in a fourth-round FA Cup clash on Saturday.
Villa beat Brighton 1-0 in the Premier League on Wednesday to reduce the gap on league leaders Arsenal to six points.
Although they’ve excelled in the top flight, Unai Emery’s side still have some demons to address in the FA Cup.
Villa progressed to the semi-final stage of the FA Cup last season before losing 3-0 to Crystal Palace at Wembley.
They now take on a Newcastle side at Villa Park, and Jamie Carragher believes that Emery will take a big step towards winning his first piece of silverware in B6.
Jamie Carragher backs Aston Villa to win vs Newcastle
Aston Villa knocked out Spurs in the FA Cup fourth round last season but haven’t gone beyond this stage in consecutive seasons since doing so between 2008-09 and 2010-11.
It seems staggering that they haven’t managed this in 15 years, but they have a perfect opportunity to achieve this against Eddie Howe’s side.
The winner of Saturday’s clash has often gone on to have a successful cup run in the past.
In five of the previous six seasons that both teams have met in the FA Cup, either Villa (1895, 1897, 1905, 1924) or Newcastle (1905, 1924, 1952) have reached the final that year.
Aston Villa have knocked the Magpies out of the FA Cup four times (1894-95, 1896-97, 1904-05, 2000-01), losing the other two ties in the 1923-24 final and the third round in 1951-52.
Aston Villa’s all-time head-to-head record vs Newcastle:
- Wins: 61
- Draws: 40
- Losses: 76
Although Newcastle have won six of their last 11 away games in the FA Cup (D2 L3), they went on a run of 15 matches without a win on the road beforehand.
The Magpies have lost 10 of their last 13 away from home at Premier League opponents, failing to score in eight of their last nine.
Speaking on The Overlap on 12 February, Carragher said he believes that silverware is a priority for Emery.
He said: “I think he needs to win a trophy at Villa. They’ll win 2-1.”
Emery is one of Villa’s greatest managers of all time, and adding a trophy to his CV would certainly cement him as an all-time great in B6.
Villa fans will certainly be optimistic that their side can advance to the next round, and they’ll be hopeful of eventually securing another trip to Wembley later in the season.
Although Emery has to deal with a handful of injuries, he’ll be thrilled to have Morgan Rogers at his disposal.
- Read more: Aston Villa injury crisis worsens with Matty Cash blow – here’s when he’ll return to action
Morgan Rogers’ fantastic FA Cup form in numbers
Rogers has been involved in four goals in five FA Cup starts for Villa (three goals, one assist).
The England international scored in Villa’s third-round win over Tottenham this season, while he scored and assisted against them in last season’s fourth round.
What’s even more promising is the 23-year-old’s impressive form in the Premier League this campaign.
Rogers scored a brilliant goal against Bournemouth on Sunday, taking his total up to 13 goal contributions in the league during 2025-26.
He has registered two assists in just four appearances against the Magpies, with his latest coming in the 2-0 win on 25 January.
Given his recent form, Rogers is certainly well placed to score this weekend and help Emery win his first trophy at Villa.