Aston Villa v Newcastle Tip

Tuesday night’s match at Villa Park has to be classified as a ‘crucial six-pointer ‘ as two huge clubs immediately above the relegation zone do battle. It’s very hard to make a compelling case for either side winning, or keeping a clean sheet. Therefore, I’ll take the best odds on offer of 7/2 (Boylesports) for the score draw.

First of all we have Villa; winless in six league outings and dumped out of both domestic cup competitions by lower league opposition within the last seven days. Paul Lambert will be desperate for a response and at least in Christian Benteke he has a striker capable of finding the net. The 22-year-old has struck 11 times for the Villains now in 2012-13 and scored in both of his last two appearances.

Then there’s Newcastle, without an away victory in the entire campaign from 17 attempts in all competitions. Their last outing was a depressing 2-1 home defeat to Reading which made it six in a row without success in all competitions. The Magpies have made significant reinforcements in the transfer market, particularly from France, but the Gallic additions need some time to settle.

If it’s level late on I can see both sides settling for a draw just because the ramifications of defeat are so great. That makes our bet more likely to come off.