Why Newcastle’s Fixture List Is Favourable this Season

We know the old clichés in football: “You have to play everyone twice regardless”, “you only get three points for a win regardless of who you beat” – when discussing the league fixtures in their entirety. There is some truth in that, of course. However, who and when you play can matter across a season, and we might suggest that Newcastle’s fixture list is quite positive for reasons we shall explain below.

Now, as you’ll be well aware, Newcastle have three games in August, and they aren’t pleasant for a team that is trying to bed in new signings. Aston Villa (H), Manchester City (A), and Liverpool (H) is just about as tough a start as possible. Indeed, we can’t find any team – with the exception of Nottingham Forest – that has a tougher start to the season. A tough fixture away to Brighton also looms on 2^nd of September.

Howe must balance Premier League and Champions League

And yet, as September rolls around, Newcastle will see many more winnable fixtures, and that will continue in the run-up to Christmas. And that should play into Eddie Howe’s hands. Why? Because Howe is tasked with balancing the Premier League campaign and the Champions League. It’s a tough ask, even for a squad that has been replenished and oozes confidence in the manner of Newcastle.

On the eve of the new season, Newcastle were quoted at 6/4 in the Premier League betting markets to finish in the top 4 again, which will be the principal goal of Howe and his team. Those odds might drift with a shaky start, but it is in the autumn that Newcastle can really set down a foundation for the start of the season.

The draw for the Champions League Group Stage will be made on 31^st of August, but we do know when Newcastle will be playing, if not the who. And we can also look at Newcastle’s opponents on either side of the Champions League Matchdays:

Matchday 1 19^th/20^th September

Newcastle will play Brentford (H) the weekend before, and Sheffield United (A) the following weekend.

Matchday 2 3^rd/4^th October

Burnley (H) the weekend before, and West Ham (A) the following weekend.

Matchday 3 24^th/25^th October

Crystal Palace (H) the weekend before, and Wolves (A) the following weekend.

Matchday 4 7^th/8^th November

Arsenal (H) the weekend before, and Bournemouth (A) the following weekend.

Matchday 5 28^th/29^th November

Chelsea (H) the weekend before, and Manchester United (H) the following weekend

Matchday 6 12^th/13^th December

Tottenham (A) the weekend before, Fulham (H) the following weekend.

Now, let’s be clear that not all of this is easy, and it does get trickier as we get into late November and December. However, the point stands that Newcastle will play weaker (with all due respect) on the majority of their weekend either side of Champions League games. Moreover, you will note that many of the tough ties – United, Arsenal, Chelsea – are played at home. If you were to ask Eddie Howe if he wanted a home match before or after an away trip somewhere like Milan or Munich, he would bite your hand off for it.

Newcastle have the squad to compete

But as we said, it is all about balance. Since the takeover, Newcastle have been patient in building a squad to compete. Some fans may want more spectacular signings in the first eleven, but Howe has worked hard to build a squad that can meet the demands of playing four competitions. Nobody is claiming here that Newcastle will play a reserve team if they were to meet, say, Sheffield United after a Champions League game, nor are we saying that Newcastle would be guaranteed to win that fixture.

However, this should work out well for Howe and his players, nearly all of whom lack Champions League experience. The majority of the team is unaccustomed to flying around Europe midweek, then turning up for games at the weekend. It counts for much in football, and we have seen time and time again teams flounder when they get the balance wrong. With the falling of the cards in the fixture list, particularly in September and October, Howe has a chance to achieve that balance.