Tammy Abraham to start for Aston Villa vs Newcastle after regular Unai Emery talks
Tammy Abraham looks to be in line for his second Aston Villa start since returning to the West Midlands in January.
Abraham re-signed for Villa from Besiktas in the winter window and made his first start in the 1-0 defeat against Brentford.
The Englishman hasn’t featured in a starting XI since then, only making limited appearances off the bench in the following outings.
The striker was afforded just four minutes of action against Bournemouth and 15 at Villa Park against Brighton, raising questions as to why he was being so underutilised.
It appears that Abraham could return to the side in B6 on Saturday as Unai Emery selects his side to face Newcastle United in the FA Cup.
Tammy Abraham start vs Newcastle United mooted
Villa are preparing to play host to Newcastle with a view to securing progression to the fifth round of the cup once again.
The Villans made it all the way to the semi-final last season and will be hoping to go a step further in this year’s tournament.
The Magpies stand in the way for now, just weeks after the claret and blue outfit secured a 2-0 win away at St James’ Park.
The hosts’ starting XI at Villa Park will certainly be interesting, but former B6 scout Bryan King believes Abraham will feature from the beginning.
The ex-Villa staff member has suggested that ongoing talks are being held with Emery over his start to life back in the Midlands as he re-acclimatises to the division.
Speaking exclusively to Villa News, King said: “I think it’s about getting him up to the speed of the Premier League, to be honest.
“He’s been away in Italy and Turkiye, I don’t care what anyone says, it’s not the same as the English game.
“I’ll be very surprised if he doesn’t play against Newcastle.
“I think he and Emery will be talking consistently, Abraham will be finding training much harder, and he’ll see all the game coming thick and fast.
Aston Villa February and March fixtures:
- FA Cup – Newcastle United – 21 February – Villa Park
- Premier League – Leeds United – 21 February – Villa Park
- Premier League – Wolves – 27 February – Molineux
- Premier League – Chelsea – 4 March – Villa Park
- Premier League – Manchester United – 15 March – Old Trafford
- Premier League – West Ham – 22 March – Villa Park
“I think Villa have got to be very careful with someone coming in from a foreign league, especially from Turkiye, which is nowhere near the Premier League.
“That’s what he’s training to do now, get up to speed and back to the tempo of English football.
“By the time this month ends, he should be ready to rock and roll.”
Abraham must move himself again at Aston Villa
Walking down to Villa Park before the Brentford defeat, the idea of watching Abraham and Douglas Luiz in claret and blue again brought a real buzz to the pre-match fare.
The result took away from that somewhat, especially considering the number nine has hardly been seen since.
He was met with his chant after he came on against Brighton, and he brought an intensity to the forward line that Ollie Watkins simply hadn’t across 75 minutes.
His stats in three games back at Villa, as showcased by Sofascore, show positive signs and look destined to improve as he features more.
That has to be on show if he is to start against Newcastle, as he can truly prove his worth if he fires Villa to the fifth round of the FA Cup.
Emery appears to be working closely with Abraham, and that can only be a good thing as his latest Villa Park spell gets up and running.
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