It's been a solid start to the new Premier League season for Newcastle United. The Magpies are unbeaten and are yet to concede a goal, having beaten Nottingham Forest 2-0 on the opening day, before frustrating Brighton to claim a goalless draw at the AMEX Stadium.
However, Newcastle will face bigger challenges, and the games are now coming thick and fast.
With the World Cup taking place in Qatar over November and December, this really is a Premier League season like no other. The Magpies will play 16 league games before the season comes to a temporary halt on November 12.
Even though the new season is only two weeks old, Newcastle already have a hectic schedule ahead of them. From August 21 until September 3 - a two week period - the Magpies will play five games.
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On average, they will be playing a game every 2.8 days across that fortnight. It's also a tough run of fixtures, with games against Premier League champions Manchester City and Champions League finalists Liverpool to come before the end of August.
Here are Newcastle's next five fixtures in full:
- August 21 - Man City (H)
- August 24 - Tranmere Rovers (A)
- August 28 - Wolves (A)
- August 31 - Liverpool (A)
- September 3 - Crystal Palace (H)
The Carabao Cup tie at Tranmere Rovers seems an ideal opportunity for Eddie Howe to rotate his XI and to rest some of his key players. Historically, Howe has taken cup competitions seriously - the last time he came up against League Two opposition as a manager was when he faced Forest Green Rovers while at AFC Bournemouth in 2019, and he still started first-team players like Callum Wilson.
However, those who haven't received much game time such as Elliot Anderson, Martin Dubravka and Chris Wood will be hoping to start against Tranmere, before the Magpies return to league action against Wolves four days later.
The game that makes this period busier than usual is Newcastle's game at Anfield on August 31. Midweek Premier League fixtures aren't normally played in August, but due to the World Cup, there will be a round of fixtures on the week commencing August 29. Howe may once again be forced to make a few changes for the Liverpool fixture, as it comes so soon after the game at Molineux. It'll also be Newcastle's third consecutive away game, and they'll clock up well over 1,000 miles in that six-day period.
The hectic schedule comes to an end with a home fixture against Crystal Palace on September 3, when the fixture calendar begins to ease off again.
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