Martin O'Neill delivers surprise Aston Villa prediction ahead of Newcastle test
Latest Aston Villa news from BirminghamLive as Martin O'Neill has his say on Unai Emery's side ahead of their Premier League opener against Newcastle United on Saturday
Former Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill believes his former side should be in contention for a top four finish this season.
Head coach Unai Emery has overseen a remarkable revival since his arrival at Villa Park towards the end of last year. The Villans were hovering above the bottom three before Emery's arrival.
European football will be played at B6 in the upcoming campaign after Villa finished seventh last season. Emery's side will need to navigate a two-legged play-off against either Hibernian or Luzern on August 24 and 31 to seal qualification for the Conference League group stages.
And O'Neill has backed the Villans to go several steps further in 2023/24 and compete for a place in next season's Champions League. Fifth place could also seal a spot in Europe's elite competition depending on the results of English sides in Europe at the end of the current campaign.
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"Aston Villa should be pushing to get in the top four this season," he told BoyleSports.
"I'm not saying they'll be able to compete with Manchester City, but they do have the history and the financial clout [to finish in the top four] so there's no reason why they can't be in the top four conversation."
Villa face a tough start to the new season as they travel to Champions League side Newcastle United on Saturday (kick-off: 17:30pm). Eddie Howe's team finished fourth in the top flight last term.