Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has ALREADY branded April as a "big month" for his European chasing Magpies.
United will get back to work this week in Dubai at the Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex before facing what will be a decisive month and period of the season in the Premier League. It remains to be seen how many points are needed to snatch a coveted top four place in the Prem this term, but if 71 is a ballpark figure - which Spurs have needed twice in the last three seasons - Newcastle still require eight victories from their last 12 matches.
Granted, Newcastle are currently grappling with a Spurs team that are hurtling into a meltdown under Antonio Conte and the tally needed in 2023 could be less. But regardless of the numbers game, Newcastle have an opportunity in April to close in on their first top four finish since 2003 with seven massive games.
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A tough clash against Manchester United on April 2 will kick us off next month at St James' Park on a day in which Newcastle can leapfrog Spurs into fourth and crank up the pressure on the London club. Spurs don't play until Monday night away to Everton.
Then it's all about getting on the road for the Magpies away to West Ham (April 5), Brentford (April 8) and then Aston Villa (April 12). A decent haul of points away from home and Newcastle will set themselves up perfectly to face Spurs on April 23 at St James' Park.
Whether the Spurs game is billed as the "decider" is up for debate, but Conte's side have the comforts of home in between that Goodison Park clash and the journey to the North-East. Tottenham will face Brighton and Bournemouth in the capital in make or break fixtures.
Spurs then round off a busy April with an encounter against Man United at home before travelling back to Merseyside to take on Liverpool. Howe and his players finish off next month at Goodison Park for a Thursday night game before a home game against Southampton.
It feels like much will be decided for Newcastle and Spurs next month - with a rearranged game against Brighton still to be confirmed - but it would also be prudent to keep an eye on Liverpool. The Reds have a free run now after being dumped out of the Champions League by Real Madrid but their fixture list is as tough as it gets.
Liverpool - already five points behind Newcastle - will head to Chelsea first, then face table toppers Arsenal at Anfield before a Monday night game at Leeds. Their month is rounded off by a home encounter against Nottingham Forest, a trip to West Ham and then that crunch game with Spurs!
If Newcastle really will need eight wins from 12, they go into April knowing that seven of them are up for grabs. Winning all of them is a huge ask but even if they can post four or five wins on the board, they'd have an incredible chance going into the last month of the season.
For the record, Howe's Magpies will face Arsenal (h), Leeds (a), Leicester (h) and Chelsea (a) plus their yet to be rearranged match with the Seagulls to finish what has been a breathtaking campaign. That's still not an easy run-in but as Howe has already told us, their hopes could well boil down to what happens in April.
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