Welcome aboard the rollercoaster that is a rebuild in the Premier League. Newcastle and Aston Villa, who face each other live on Saturday Night Football, were two sides dismantled in the summer transfer window. Teams with clear identities, forced into new eras.
The Magpies, after also losing Eddie Howe, retained 70 per cent of their league minutes from last season, the fifth-lowest figure, while Villa made the biggest change at just 49 per cent. Now the two sides face off live on Sky Sports, with their form in the league to start the 2026/27 season fluctuating as a result of the upheaval they endured during the summer.
Newcastle's rebuild stretches far beyond the departures of Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes and Anthony Gordon. Howe announced his shock departure in pre-season, just under five years after taking charge and 25 days before the season began. Matthias Jaissle was named as his successor and the early indications were positive. Newcastle went unbeaten across their opening five games, but a 4-1 loss at Leeds United offered a worrying insight into what could be to come. No side has conceded more goals (13), and Jamie Carragher blamed the "lack of physicality" in the squad after the loss at Coventry City.
In contrast, Villa started slowly, without a league goal scored until the 2-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest on September 12. Slow starts are not uncharted territory for Emery, who saw his side fail to score in the league until September 21 last season. A chastening 4-0 loss to high-flying Brighton in their opener sparked alarm bells after the club lost Emiliano Martinez, Lucas Digne, Ezri Konsa, Youri Tielemans, Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins. A cup victory at Coventry stirred a degree of confidence ahead of the meeting at St James' Park.
Source: Sky Sports Champions League · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing