Having ended a five-game winless streak before football was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic, Newcastle United can head into the resumption feeling slightly more at ease regarding their battle to avoid relegation from the Premier League.
The Magpies now sit eight points clear of the bottom three, but five of their remaining nine fixtures are against teams below them in the standings.
However, Steve Bruce's side, who sit in 13th place, will return with a home encounter on June 21 against Europe-chasing Sheffield United, who will have already got 90 minutes under their belt before visiting St James' Park.
Aston Villa are due in the North-East three days later, and Bruce will be eager to claim maximum points against opponents who currently sit 10 points adrift of them in the table.
© Reuters
After their FA Cup quarter-final with Manchester City, Newcastle face a double-header versus Bournemouth and West Ham United, again aware that a win against either team could secure their top-flight status for another 12 months.
With another clash with City, this time at the Etihad Stadium, and a meeting to Liverpool still to come in their remaining five games, it puts added pressure on Bruce's side at a time when they may be making a significant transition behind the scenes.
As well as taking on the top two, Newcastle must also go up against Tottenham Hotspur, and they will be bidding to complete the double over the North Londoners after their success earlier in the campaign.
Newcastle's final two away fixtures take them to Watford and Brighton & Hove Albion respectively, although Bruce will be confident that his side will have already seen the pressure ease on their shoulders from previous results.
Newcastle's remaining fixtures in full
© Reuters
Sheffield United (h) - Sunday, June 21 at 2pm
Aston Villa (h) - Wednesday, June 24 at 6pm
Bournemouth (a) - Wednesday, July 1 at 6pm
West Ham United (h) - TBC
Manchester City (a) - TBC
Watford (a) - TBC
Tottenham Hotspur (h) - TBC
Brighton & Hove Albion (a) - TBC
Liverpool (h) - TBC
All times are BST
Darren Plant
