Aston Villa v Newcastle United 
[/CENTER][/SIAston Villa can go top of the league - albeit only for a couple of hours - with a win over Newcastle at Villa Park on Saurday. Following Paul Lambert's side's impressive win over Stoke on the opening day of the season, the claret and blue outfit welcome the Magpies and will be hoping to avoid a repeat of last season in which Villa, who were totally devoid of any creativity or invention, were taken apart by Newcastle.
Villa defender Jores Okore is back in contention for the first time in almost a year after suffering a ruptured ACL in this very fixture on September 14, 2013.
Newcastle will be hoping to pick up their first points this season as they travel to the Midlands following their 2-0 defeat at the hands of Premier League champions Manchester City last weekend. Alan Pardew's men were competent with the ball against City and kept Manuel Pellegrini's side at bay for much of the game. New recruits Emmanuel Riviere and Remy Cabella impressed on their debuts, but Newcastle's inability to register a single shot on goal throughout the 90 minutes will certainly worry Pardew.
Joe Cole and Carlos Sanchez are set to make their competitive Aston Villa debuts against Newcastle at Villa Park on Saturday. Cole missed last week's opening-day 1-0 win at Stoke as he recovered from a thigh injury while Sanchez had only just signed from Elche. But the Colombia international has trained this week and boss Paul Lambert has confirmed he is available for the Barclays Premier League clash with the Magpies. Jores Okore is also in contention after playing in an Under-21s game against Stoke on Monday. The defender suffered a cruciate knee ligament injury last September after just four appearances following his £4m arrival from FC Nordsjaelland. Strikers Christian Benteke (Achilles) and Libor Kozak (broken leg) remain sidelined.
Summer signing Siem de Jong could be handed a Premier League debut as Newcastle head for Aston Villa on Saturday. Former Ajax midfielder De Jong is available after missing the opener against Manchester City with the foot injury he suffered in pre-season, and will be joined in the squad by loan striker Facundo Ferreyra for the first time. Midfielder Cheick Tiote will sit out once again with a hamstring problem, while central defender Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa picked up a knock in training last week and full-back Davide Santon is unlikely to return to the squad until November after undergoing knee surgery during the closed season.ZE]