Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe insists their record against Aston Villa means nothing going into their Boxing Day clash.
Newcastle haven't lost to Villa at St James' Park since 2005.
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Howe said this morning: "Previous games don't tell you anything about what is going to happen in the future. We really enjoyed playing at home in the last few games. Our home performances in general have been very good, so more of the same would be very welcome.
"This will be a really good challenge for us. I think they have good depth in their squad, they have some really good players. Their style is very difficult to play against, they're very well coached, very well drilled."
On Christmas Day training, Howe added: "We will get them in training but won't keep them for any longer than they need to be in and then they can enjoy Christmas like everybody else."