Newcastle boss Eddie Howe issues warning to Man City and Aston Villa

Eddie Howe is not ready to accept the Premier League's top six as an unattainable goal as he aspires to propel the team to elite status. Once underdogs, Newcastle claimed a remarkable fourth-place finish two seasons ago, echoing Aston Villa's feat last season.

Despite financial regulations posing new hurdles and a subsequent seventh-place finish after their return to the Champions League, Howe is undeterred. His philosophy is clear: “I never see anything as a closed workshop. It's our job to try to get the best out of ourselves and not put any barriers to our levels or our expectations of ourselves internally and see what happens.”

Newcastle are set to face Aston Villa at revered St James' Park on Boxing Day, with the hosts just two points behind their sixth-placed rivals and sandwiched between Manchester City and the lingering shadows of Tottenham and Manchester United in the league table. Asked whether outside forces might want to prevent his camp from disrupting the status quo, Howe conceded with a knowing smile: “I’m sure there are people who don’t want that to happen again.

“But the beauty of the Premier League this year is that you never really know what’s going to happen. Teams are struggling to put together consistent runs of results – not just us.

“We have seen Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth and many teams have very good seasons. The level of the Premier League has been very close this year between all the teams.

“I don't think there is much difference between the top and bottom teams and that is testament to the quality of every team in the league. There are no easy games and it makes for a great spectacle.

“It makes for a great league because you never know what's going to happen. You never know what twists and turns await us, so it's up to all of us to try and break through in any group of teams, to try to upset people and succeed.”

Howe is also hoping for the return of midfielder Joelinton, who missed the recent 4-0 win over Ipswich due to suspension after suffering facial injuries in the Carabao Cup quarter-final win over Brentford. Looking ahead, Newcastle have a historic advantage as Aston Villa have not won at St James' Park since April 2005 – a run of 16 games with 10 defeats.

Despite this, Howe remains cautious about his next match, especially given Villa's recent triumph over City. He commented on the challenge posed by Unai Emery's team: “The way Unai plays his teams, their style is very difficult to play against, very well coached, very well coached. We are expecting a good game.”