Aston Villa Host Newcastle in FA Cup Fourth Round

Aston Villa face Newcastle United in the FA Cup fourth round at Villa Park on Saturday, with both teams navigating injury crises in midfield while Villa chase an end to their 30-year wait for a major trophy.

Unai Emery's side enters the match in strong form, having secured a 1-0 Premier League victory over Brighton on Wednesday night. That result extended Villa's unbeaten run in their last six matches across all competitions to four wins, including a 2-0 league triumph at Newcastle earlier this season. Villa advanced to this stage with a third-round win at Tottenham Hotspur and remain unbeaten in their past three encounters against Newcastle. Currently pushing for a Champions League spot, Villa see the FA Cup as a realistic path to silverware, having reached the semifinals last season before a loss to Crystal Palace.

However, injuries have depleted Villa's squad. Midfielders Boubacar Kamara, John McGinn, and Youri Tielemans are sidelined, with Kamara out for the season following knee surgery and the others not expected back until March or April. Defender Matty Cash is a doubt after missing the Brighton game with a knee issue, while Andres Garcia remains absent with a hamstring...