Independent reporter Gerard Brand is predicting a nervy encounter at Villa Park on Tuesday night when Paul Lambert's side plays host to Newcastle.

Both sides are struggling for form at the moment and find themselves at the wrong end of the Premier League table, and Villa have suffered a week to forget with cup defeats by Bradford and Millwall.

They now have a chance to bounce back against the Toon, but Brand admits they will have to get their defensive organisation right if they are to get a result, especially with Alan Pardew's team boosted by the arrival of four new French imports.