Aston Villa vs Newcastle - Aston Villa set to welcome back Jack Grealish

Posted Friday, November 22, 2019 by PA

Jack Grealish is set to skipper the Aston Villa side in their Premier League home clash with Newcastle on Monday after four weeks out with a calf injury.

Goalkeeper Tom Heaton is also likely to play after missing the defeat to Wolves last time out with a calf problem, but deputy Jed Steer is out for up to four months with a partial tear in his Achilles.

Defenders Bjorn Engels and Matt Targett should also figure after overcoming a hip injury and concussion respectively, but winger Jota (hernia) and striker Keinan Davis (hamstring) are not ready to return.

Newcastle are hoping Ciaran Clark is passed fit to face his former club after already seeing captain Jamaal Lascelles ruled out until the new year.

Lascelles has fractured his tibia and faces several weeks out, while Clark reported back from Republic of Ireland duty carrying a knock.

Florian Lejeune and Fabian Schar are back in training and could provide the defensive cavalry but Sean Longstaff completes a three-game ban and Matt Ritchie is still out with longstanding ankle trouble.

Aston Villa provisional squad: Heaton, Nyland, Guilbert, Engels, Mings, Taylor, Elmohamady, Konsa, Nakamba, Targett, McGinn, Hourihane, Lansbury, Grealish, Trezeguet, El Ghazi, Wesley, Kodjia.

Newcastle provisional squad: Dubravka, Darlow, Manquillo, Krafth, Yedlin, Dummett, Willems, Schar, Fernandez, Clark, Lejeune, Hayden, Shelvey, Ki, M. Longstaff, Atsu, Almiron, Joelinton, Muto, Gayle.