Newcastle United will be hoping to keep strong on two fronts as they look for success in the Premier League and the Champions League.
The Magpies are unbeaten in their last six league matches, racking up four victories in that time, and have made a good start to their European adventure. A disappointing 1-0 loss to Borussia Dortmund is the only real blemish during the last couple of months.
But Eddie Howe will be hoping that a mounting set of injuries do not derail Newcastle’s season as the fixtures continue to pile up. The Chronicle will assess the club’s next six league matches and the fixtures of their rivals in and around them.
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Arsenal (H), Saturday, 4 November
St James’ Park will be rocking for a big clash with Arsenal at the weekend. It will be a huge test of an injury-hit Newcastle team that are also going to have to get used to life without Sandro Tonali, who has been banned for ten months due to breaching betting regulations.
Recent Arsenal displays against Chelsea and Manchester City have shown that they can pick up points despite playing badly. This will be a tough assignment for the Magpies.
Bournemouth (A) – Saturday, 11 November
The final match before the international break gives Newcastle a good chance of leaving in good spirits. While the Cherries have picked up their first win of the season, they have generally struggled to pick up points and may struggle against a well-oiled Newcastle team.
The Burnley win could soon be lost in the memory with a game against Man City coming up this weekend. A heavy defeat at the Etihad may dampen the mood ahead of this particular clash.
Chelsea (H) – Saturday, 25 November
Chelsea very rarely play poorly under Mauricio Pochettino but they do often flatter to deceive in front of goal. The Blues would be sixth if points were generated on xG and xGC, according to Understat.
However, using the same statistics, Newcastle would be second in the Premier League so perhaps this is a good clash of two teams that are underachieving their expected potential. It is tough to see who comes out on top.
Manchester United (H) – Saturday, 2 December
Three matches out of four against ‘big-six’ opposition is ordinarily a difficult task for anybody. But Manchester United’s big decline means that teams are now actively looking to take them on.
Even when they win, there is nothing convincing or sustainable about Erik ten Hag’s men. They are playing hopeful football and well-drilled opponents can find a way to take points off them without necessarily being at their best.
Everton (A) – Thursday, 7 December
This is a match that looked easier a few weeks ago but Everton have started to pick up a couple of results. Under Sean Dyche, the Toffees will look to be resilient and solid but they also offer a threat in attack.
For most of the season, Everton’s results were not actually reflecting the good level of performance that they were putting out. But keeping Dominic Calvert-Lewin fit has given them more potency in attack and he scored the winner away at West Ham United, last Sunday.
Tottenham Hotspur (A) – Sunday, 10 December
It is another very tough match for the Magpies with table-topping Tottenham showing few signs of falling apart after their strong start. Ange Postecoglou has found a way to bring Spurs together after the loss of Harry Kane and they are winning lots of matches in a very attractive way.
It is tough to counter-attack against Tottenham because of the pace of Sergio Romero and Micky van der Ven in central defence so effectively utilising the pace of Callum Wilson might not always be possible.
Man United next six fixtures
Fulham (A) – Saturday, 4 November
Luton Town (H) – Saturday, 11 November
Everton (A) – Sunday, 26 November
Newcastle (A) – Saturday, 2 December
Chelsea (H) – Wednesday, 6 December
Bournemouth (H) – Saturday, 9 December
Aston Villa next six fixtures
Nottingham Forest (A) – Sunday, 5 November
Fulham (H) – Sunday, 12 November
Tottenham Hotspur (A) – Saturday, 25 November
Bournemouth (A) – Sunday, 3 December
Manchester City (H) – Wednesday, 6 December
Arsenal (H) – Saturday, 9 December
Brighton next six fixtures
Everton (A) – Saturday, 4 November
Sheffield United (H) – Sunday, 12 November
Nottingham Forest (A) – Saturday, 25 November
Chelsea (A) – Sunday, 3 December
Brentford (H) – Wednesday, 7, December
Burnley (H) – Saturday, 9 December
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