Realistically, it was not that long ago when Aston Villa took on an in-form Newcastle United side at Villa Park and defeated the Magpies 4-1 in a Premier League fixture. With the announcement of the upcoming EPL games being released, Villa fans are looking forward to the chance of making it two in a row against Newcastle.
At the time, it was a visiting team that had won the EFL Cup and entered that particular day with consecutive blowout wins over Crystal Palace, Manchester United, and Leicester City. By all accounts, it was a side that was expected to at least keep things competitive at VP.
Instead, the full power of the fortress showcased itself, and Villa would go on to dominate the match. With the final Amadou Onana score in the second half, a slew of substitutions were made, with the away side giving up on the day and looking forward to moving on to their next match.
Now the opening Premier League Saturday action will feature that same matchup from April at the same VP venue. On one hand, there can be a lot of room for optimism. It is Villa Park, after all. Home fixtures for Villa have been such a strong suit of Unai Emery's men that they are on the cusp of matching the club record.
Big, early test for Aston Villa to earn points
There could also be an element of revenge on the mind of Newcastle. That outing was something of an embarrassment. Not that losing in itself would have any shame in it, but that match in particular was not especially competitive. For the Magpies, it could be seen as an early opportunity to get the bad taste out of their mouths.
Regardless of how the opposition approaches the match on the day, Emery will know how important it will be to set the tone early and be on the front foot of the standings after the opening 90 minutes of the new season. This becomes more true with the fixture taking place in front of the Villa supporters.