Newcastle set for fixture swing - Fresh hope for Toon in push for European places?

Monday's defeat to Chelsea felt like a real setback, not only halting our momentum but allowing a Premier League rival to move just one point behind us in the Premier League.

It's been a season full of injuries, inconsistency and surprisingly poor defensive displays, yet I still believe we have a very real chance of finishing 7th.

We'll have to improve, but the fixture swing coming our way after the upcoming international break gives me real hope, especially when we're still just three points behind 7th-placed West Ham.

Six of our final 10 games are against teams currently in the bottom half. Our toughest game left is a trip to Old Trafford - where we won 3-0 in the cup a few months ago. We have Sheffield United, Burnley, Palace, Brentford, Fulham and Everton still to play, along with winnable home games against West Ham and Brighton.

Looking at our run in below, followed by the current Premier League table, I don't see why we can't come out on top if 7th place is between ourselves, West Ham, Brighton, Wolves and Chelsea:

6th may be beyond us now - the seven point gap to Man Utd doesn't look like something we'll overturn based on current form - but with Joe Willock back, hope Anthony Gordon won't be out long, Nick Pope to return next month and Kieran Trippier and Harvey Barnes expected to be fit for our first game back after the break, I'm hopeful we'll have enough.

Brighton and Wolves are still missing key attackers to injury, we can go above West Ham with a win later this month and Chelsea - the new favourites for 7th - are nothing special despite their win on Monday.

So, for all the worries that our season will be over if we're knocked out by Man City on Saturday, we still have every chance of getting ourselves back into Europe next season.