The 2023/24 Newcastle United Premier League fixtures are a joke in the opening 5 weeks of the season | OneFootball

The 2023/24 Newcastle United Premier League fixtures are now out.

The new Premier League campaign kicking off on the weekend of Saturday 12 August.

Last season (2022/23) Newcastle United were given a Premier League opening schedule of Forest (H), Brighton (A), Man City (H), Liverpool (A), Wolves (A).

This 2023/24 season it is (see below) Aston Villa (H), Man City (A), Liverpool (H), Brighton (A), Brentford (H).

You couldn’t make it up.

Having to play five clubs who finished in the top nine last season in the opening five fixtures, surely they are having a laugh.

Particularly when you factor in that last season, the opening five games also included Man City and Liverpool, plus a trip to Brighton.

Yes you have to play every team home and away regardless BUT to suggest that the scheduling of games doesn’t give any team an advantage would be ludicrous.

Back on the 9 June 2023 I wrote an article hoping for an Arsenal style start to this season for Newcastle United.

Last season, the first five Arsenal Premier League fixtures were Palace (A), Leicester (H), Bournemouth (A), Fulham (H) and Villa (H). No great surprise that Arsenal won all five, getting them off to a dream start.

This time, Arsenal’s first five games in the 2023/24 season are Forest (H), Palace (A), Fulham (H),  Man Utd (H), and Everton (A).

As I wrote last week, Arteta’s team lost at Man U in their sixth match but buoyed by confidence and momentum as they still remained top of the table after six games, Arsenal went on to then win nine of their following ten games in 2022, with one draw. Success feeds success and without that great start of winning all five, would / could Arsenal have had such positive further results throughout the final months of 2022?

I also wrote in that article:

‘To put in a positive surprise challenge towards the top end, I would say very rarely this can happen without getting the benefit / confidence from early wins.

Looking back at when Leicester pulled off the biggest surprise of all, their very first game (and win) in August 2015 was home to Sunderland, then in their next twelve Premier League matches they played the likes of West Ham, Norwich, Palace (twice), Watford, Bournemouth, Villa, Stoke, West Brom, Southampton and in their thirteenth match, Steve McClaren’s Newcastle United who Leicester beat 3-0 at St James’ Park. They had Tottenham at home but their only really obvious tough game, at least on paper, in these opening 13 PL matches was Arsenal away, their only defeat in that opening third of the season.’

Rounding off last week’s article I declared:

‘If Newcastle United on Wednesday (14 June) get a similar set of opening fixtures (see important dates below) as was the case for Leicester in 2015 and Arsenal in 2022, I can’t help but think what could potentially be delivered by Eddie Howe’s Mags, if they get their fair share of luck…’

I am not writing off Newcastle United in these opening games but it is an absolute joke.

To get such tough games early, once again, isn’t playing fair.

Especially when you consider that this time, Eddie Howe’s side have these tough opening five matches and the usual daft international break, before then after Brentford, Newcastle will play their opening Champions League group match on the midweek (19/20 September).

Newcastle United official announcement of 2023/24 fixtures:

Newcastle United will kick off their 2023/24 Premier League campaign with a home fixture against Aston Villa.

The Magpies, fresh from qualifying for the Champions League last term, will entertain Unai Emery’s Villans – whose seventh-place finish earned them a place in the Europa Conference League – on Saturday, 12th August, with the fixture live on Sky Sports at 17:30 (BST).

United then travel to the Etihad Stadium the following weekend to take on treble-winners and Premier League champions Manchester City, before welcoming Liverpool to St. James’ Park.

September begins with a long trip to Brighton & Hove Albion before the first international break of the campaign, followed by a home game against Brentford and a meeting with Sheffield United at Bramall Lane.

Eddie Howe’s men will enter the Carabao Cup at the third round stage this season as a result of their Champions League qualification, and their quest to go one better than last February’s final appearance will begin on or around Wednesday, 27th September.

Due to West Ham United’s participation in the Europa League, their home game against Newcastle on Saturday, 7th October may be subject to movement to Sunday, 8th October.

Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United come to Tyneside in successive home fixtures between November and December, and following a first league meeting in 30 years with newly-promoted Luton on Saturday, 23rd December, United’s Boxing Day fixture is at St. James’ Park, against Nottingham Forest.

Howe’s side travel to Liverpool on Saturday, 30th December and Newcastle’s first league game of 2024 will be at home to Manchester City.

There’s a mid-season break between 13th and 30th January and the Magpies will end their league campaign at Brentford on Sunday, 19th May (kick-off 4pm BST).

You can sync Newcastle United’s 2023/24 fixtures to your calendar here. All dates are subject to change due to live television selections. Full August and September broadcast selections are due to be announced next month, while October’s games are expected to be confirmed in August.

The Premier League have committed to giving supporters a minimum of six weeks’ notice (from the first match of the relevant month) on broadcast selections until December 2023, and five weeks from January 2024 until Match Round 37.