Aston Villa and Newcastle are both struggling for consistency in the Premier League but they can now focus on the road to Wembley as they collide in the FA Cup fourth round.
Unai Emery's side were surprise title contenders before dropping five points in back-to-back games with Brentford and Bournemouth.
But they got back on track with a home win over Brighton on Wednesday and can now take a break from Premier League duties to plot a path to FA Cup glory.
This tournament is probably third on their list of priorities for the rest of the season, with securing a top-four finish and winning the Europa League taking precedence.
But the FA Cup probably represents Newcastle's only chance of success this season, with the Magpies unlikely to go all the way in the Champions League.
Eddie Howe had come under pressure after a dismal run that saw his side go five games without a win in all competitions.
But they got back on track with a 2-1 win at Tottenham in midweek and if Howe can now steer them to victory at Villa Park it would silence more of the snipers.
How the bookies view it: Villa homing in on fifth round
Aston Villa have been strong at home for most of the season and they're 6/5 favourites for this cup tie with Ladbrokes. Newcastle are as big as 11/5 with Bet365 and the draw at 90 minutes pays 27/10 at Ladbrokes.
Recent head to head: Tide is turning
Aston Villa are unbeaten across the last three meetings, including a 2-0 Premier League triumph at St James' Park a few weeks ago. But the Magpies had won five of their last six against Villa before that.
Players to watch: Jolly Rogers
Morgan Rogers scored what proved to be Villa's winner in the last round of the cup and the midfielder is already on double figures for the season. He's 2/1 with Paddy Power for another goal and 10/3 at Bet365 for an assist.
Howe has been chopping and changing his forwards of late but Harvey Barnes should keep his place in the side. The winger has netted 12 times this term and is 14/5 at BetVictor to add to that tally.
Backed a player to find the net? Check our Goalscorer Betting guide to see how the markets work and where to find value.
Probable line-ups
Villa still have key players missing in midfield, with John McGinn, Youri TIelemans and Boubacar Kamara out. Defender Matty Cash also missed out in midweek with an injury.
Newcastle's win at Spurs came at a cost as skipper Bruno Guimaraes picked up another injury. He joins Joelinton, Tino Livramento, Fabian Schar, Lewis Miley and Emil Krafth on the sidelines.
Aston Villa: Martinez, Bogarde, Konsa, Torres, Digne, Onana, Luiz, Rogers, Sancho, Buendia, Watkins.
Newcastle United: Pope, Trippier, Burn, Thiaw, Hall, Tonali, Willock, Ramsey, Barnes, Gordon, Wissa.
Anything else catch the eye?
Newcastle usually struggle without the inspirational Guimaraes so I fancy Villa for this one with home advantage. It should be a close one though and the half-time draw also looks decent at 11/8 with Bet365.
We saw 11 corners when these teams faced off at St James' Park a few weeks ago so that's another market worth looking at. Over 10 corners pays evens at Bet365 who also price over five first-half flag kicks at 8/5.
Big Dan Burn is always a big threat from set-pieces and the Newcastle centre back is 19/4 with Coral to have an effort on target.
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