Villa duo fire warning to Magpies

20 May 2009 10:23
Martin O'Neill's men play host to relegation-threatened Newcastle on Sunday in their final game of the 2008/09 campaign. There had been suggestions that Villa would struggle to motivate themselves for the clash, with a Europa League place already secured. However, Davies insists a fifth-place finish remains the target for the Villans, while victory this weekend would also see the club surpass the 60-point total they accrued last term. "We don't just want to draw with last year's total, we want to beat it," said the centre-half, with Villa currently sitting on 59 points. "That means we are going to have to beat Newcastle, not for the reason of wanting to send them down but for our own reasons. "They are going to be desperate, like Middlesbrough were (during Saturday's 1-1 draw), throwing a lot of men forward and throwing caution to the wind." Defeat for Newcastle would send them tumbling into the Championship, while even victory might not be enough to save them if results elsewhere go against them. Alan Shearer is sure to have his troops fired up for the crunch clash as a result, but Petrov insists Villa are equally as determined to end the season on a high. "I hope against Newcastle we can win and get fifth place," said the Bulgaria international. "We can't afford to take our foot off the pedal as we are fighting for fifth place and we're behind Everton now. There is a lot at stake in this last game."

Source: Team_Talk