Aston Villa v Newcastle Utd

From a Wesleyan chapel in Aston to FA Cup winners in thirteen years; Villa's rise was remarkable by any measure.

On 21 November 1874, members of the Villa Cross Wesleyan Chapel in Aston, Birmingham, formed a football club to keep themselves occupied during the winter months. Within a decade, Villa had become one of the most powerful clubs in England, winning the FA Cup in 1887 and becoming a founding member of the Football League in 1888.

Five league titles before the century turned. Villa did not merely dominate the 1890s; they owned them.

Newcastle United joined the Football League in 1893, and the two clubs quickly established themselves as regular opponents in the First Division. Villa were the dominant force of the 1890s, winning five league titles between 1894 and 1900, while Newcastle were building the side that would claim three titles of their own between 1905 and 1909. The fixture became a meeting of genuine heavyweights.

Villa Park has hosted more FA Cup semi-finals than any other ground in England; that alone tells you everything.

In 1897, Aston Villa achieved the league and FA Cup Double, one of only a handful of clubs to manage it in the Victorian era. That same year, the club moved to the Aston Lower Grounds, which would become Villa Park. The ground has hosted more FA Cup semi-finals than any other venue in England, a testament to its stature in the English game.

Three titles in five seasons: Newcastle didn't just challenge Villa's supremacy, they matched it.

Newcastle won three First Division titles in five seasons between 1905 and 1909, establishing themselves as Villa's equals at the top of English football. Matches between the two drew enormous crowds. Both clubs reached FA Cup finals in this period, and the fixture carried genuine weight in the title race. It was a rivalry built on mutual respect and shared ambition rather than geographical proximity.

When Villa Park's lights first blazed into life in 1958, both clubs were deep in a restless post-war search for stability between the divisions.

Villa Park's floodlights were switched on for the first time in 1958, ushering in a new era for the ground. Both Villa and Newcastle spent much of the post-war period fluctuating between divisions, which meant the fixture was not always a top-flight affair. When they did meet, though, the matches carried the weight of two clubs desperate to reclaim former glories.

Still the last club outside the so-called big four to lift European football's greatest prize.

On 26 May 1982, Aston Villa beat Bayern Munich 1-0 in Rotterdam to win the European Cup. Peter Withe's 67th-minute goal sealed one of the most remarkable triumphs in the competition's history. Villa remain the last club from outside England's traditional 'big four' to lift the trophy. It was a moment that defined the club for a generation and gave Villa Park an aura that few English grounds can match.

Keegan's Newcastle brought Shearer, Ginola and Asprilla to Villa Park; football didn't get more box-office than this.

The mid-1990s saw both clubs competing at the sharp end of the Premier League. Kevin Keegan's Newcastle, with Shearer, Ferdinand, Ginola and Asprilla, played some of the most thrilling football English fans had ever seen. Villa, under Brian Little, won the League Cup in 1996 and were regular top-half finishers. Matches between the two were box-office affairs, full of goals and drama.

Three seasons in the wilderness, then Wembley glory; Villa were back where they belonged.

After three seasons in the Championship, Villa won promotion via the play-offs in 2019, beating Derby County 2-1 at Wembley. The return to the Premier League meant the Villa v Newcastle fixture was restored to the calendar. Both clubs were in transition, but the fixture retained its edge. Villa survived relegation on the final day of the 2019-20 season, a result that underlined the fine margins at this level.

Villa's first Champions League football since 1982-83, with Newcastle having earned their place the season before. Both clubs are finally at the top table together.

Under Unai Emery, Villa finished fourth in the 2023-24 Premier League season to qualify for the Champions League for the first time since 1982-83. Newcastle, backed by their Saudi-led ownership, had qualified the previous season. For the first time in decades, both clubs were competing at European football's top table simultaneously. The fixture now carries the weight of two clubs with serious ambitions, significant investment, and a shared determination to break into the established elite.

A 50,000-capacity Villa Park will announce, in bricks and steel, exactly how far Sawiris and Edens have brought this club since 2018.

Plans for a major redevelopment of Villa Park are well underway, with the North Stand set to be rebuilt to increase capacity beyond 50,000. The project reflects the ambition of owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens, who have transformed the club since their 2018 takeover. When Newcastle visit the new-look Villa Park, they will find a ground that matches the scale of both clubs' aspirations.