Is Anthony Elanga Set for His Newcastle Debut Against Aston Villa?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Anthony Elanga makes his debut for Newcastle United.
- New signings include Aaron Ramsdale and Malick Thiaw.
- The match takes place at Villa Park.
- Key players for Newcastle are Bruno Guimarães and Anthony Gordon.
- Aston Villa sees Marco Bizot making his debut.
Birmingham, Aug 16 (NationPress) Anthony Elanga is poised to make his competitive debut for Newcastle United when they take on Aston Villa in the opening match of the Premier League season this Saturday.
Under the management of Eddie Howe, the Magpies will kick off the 2025/26 campaign at Villa Park. The United boss has chosen Nick Pope, who recently received the number one shirt, to guard the goal, while summer signing Aaron Ramsdale will be on the bench.
Former Nottingham Forest winger Elanga will be making his first official appearance for Newcastle against Unai Emery's squad, with another new addition, defender Malick Thiaw, also sitting on the bench.
The defensive lineup for the visitors consists of Kieran Trippier, Fabian Schär, Dan Burn, and Tino Livramento, positioned in front of Pope. Sandro Tonali will be the midfield general, flanked by captain Bruno Guimarães and Joelinton.
Elanga and Harvey Barnes are expected to pose a significant threat from the wings, while Anthony Gordon is likely to spearhead the attack.
If needed, Thiaw may make his debut from the bench, alongside young South Korean winger Seung-soo Park, who has earned his spot thanks to a series of impressive pre-season performances.
Additional defenders Emil Krafth, Sven Botman, and Lewis Hall are also included, along with goalkeeper Ramsdale. Midfield backup will be provided by Lewis Miley.
In terms of attack depth, Jacob Murphy and Will Osula are options if Howe opts to utilize them at Villa Park.
On the other side, Aston Villa will see summer signing Marco Bizot making his debut in claret and blue due to Emi Martínez serving a one-match suspension from last season.
Fresh off signing new contracts, Lucas Digne and Tyrone Mings are included in the defense, joined by Ezri Konsa and Matty Cash. Boubacar Kamara will join Amadou Onana and Youri Tielemans in midfield.
Fit-to-start Morgan Rogers and captain John McGinn will operate behind Ollie Watkins, while newest recruit Evann Guessand is set to start the match on the bench, alongside 18-year-old Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba and academy graduate goalkeeper James Wright.