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Football

12.30pm Aston Villa v Newcastle

The fixture computer can be a mean machine: Aston Villa, denied a lead at Manchester United on the last day by a premature referee’s whistle in a game they went on to lose, start the season by facing Newcastle, who edged them out of a Champions League place on goal difference. As the late Jim Bowen would have put it on Bullseye: “Here’s what you would have won.” Jacob Ramsey will be in the Champions League after leaving Villa for St James’ Park, though probably not in time to figure here. Barry Glendenning will be on minute-by-minute duty – perhaps Alexander Isak will have a look on his phone to see how things are going – while Peter Lansley will be at Villa Park to find out if Unai Emery has calmed down since his Old Trafford meltdown.

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