00:00So, the 2024-25 Premier League fixtures have been announced and the big story for Newcastle
00:06is they will kick off the season at home to Southampton. Now, Southampton are newly promoted
00:10of course but it leads in that play-off final last month so that will be a good test of
00:14certainly where they're at for the season and certainly Newcastle will fancy their chances
00:18to get off to a good start. We saw a couple of years ago they beat Nottingham Forest at
00:21home on the first game of the season, again a newly promoted side and that was a real
00:26good field day match and set them on the start of the season which ended in Champions
00:33League qualification. Of course, last year they beat Aston Villa 5-1 in a fantastic match
00:37at St James' on the first game of the season. So, they'll be confident of getting a win
00:41there and really setting their season off on the right foot. It's going to be a big
00:47year next year and if they can get points on the board and get a good start, that'll
00:50be one that we're hopeful of. Then they travel to Bournemouth away the week after, that's
00:54a tough fixture. Newcastle have traditionally not done very well at Bournemouth and over
00:59the last couple of years they've struggled against Andoni Arreola's side and Gary O'Neill's
01:03previous so that'll be a tough game. Then of course, the one after that is the one that
01:07a lot of people are waiting for, Tottenham Hotspur at home. They return to Sandro Tonali,
01:12that's the first game he'll be eligible to play, a competitive game. That'll be a big
01:17moment if he makes that squad, if he makes the team on that day, to see him back in action.
01:23Tottenham Hotspur's schedule for August 31st, obviously, the games other than the first
01:27game of the season, which is definitely a 3pm kick-off on August 17th, these can all
01:30be moved for TV. So, that Tottenham one, I would guess, would probably be moved for TV.
01:33I think that's one that TV companies like to show. So, when that's moved, that'll probably
01:37move from the 3 o'clock slot but of course, there's nothing to guarantee that. Looking
01:42further on, of course, Boxing Day. They return to Aston Villa, so another home game on Boxing
01:47Day and yeah, Villa are going to be very tough opponents. Newcastle did the double over them
01:53in A2 on aggregate last year but they're always going to be a difficult match, so that'll
01:57be a real big one. Again, I fancy that one might be getting moved on Boxing Day, that
02:00single one that the TV companies might want to show. Both games were really good last
02:05year and I can see that getting moved, even if it's still on Boxing Day, maybe not the
02:093 o'clock kick-off that day. Looking to the end of the season, finish the season again
02:13at home to Everton, that's a huge thing as well. We all know Newcastle's form at home.
02:18It did last year but the season four was certainly fantastic and they'll fancy a chance against
02:21anyone at home and of course Everton, they'll fancy themselves to get a result there and
02:26know that they can end the season off in style and they're really going to have to focus
02:30on that game because the month of May is a real tricky one. If Newcastle go into that
02:34end of the season needing wins, tie their Champions League qualification, Euro qualification,
02:39maybe more, maybe less, who knows. They're going to end the season with Brighton away
02:42on the first weekend of May, which is a tough game. They've got Chelsea at home and then
02:47Arsenal away all the play before that last game against Everton, so Brighton, Chelsea,
02:51Arsenal and Everton in May. It's a tricky run of games that for Newcastle but one they'll
02:57fancy their chances in. Anyhow, side will always fancy a chance against anyone they
03:02play, so that'll be a run of games they'll be looking to tackle. Some other big ones
03:06to pick out, Man City, defending champions, Newcastle play them at home in the final weekend
03:12of September, so that's one to keep an eye on. Liverpool, they play Liverpool at home
03:17on the 4th of December. That's a midweek game, so that'll be under the lights. That's
03:23St James' Park again, I'm sure that'll be one that is picked up on TV and one that'll
03:28be given the big advert because that'll be a really good occasion, really good match.
03:35They play Manchester United away three days after Aston Villa on Boxing Day, so they host
03:40Aston Villa on Boxing Day and then a few days after that, the game between Christmas and
03:44That'll be Man U away, so that's a big game, we all know what happens. A bit of a needle
03:50between Newcastle and Man U over the last couple of years and especially the way last
03:53season ended with Man U winning the FA Cup and Newcastle missing out on Europe, so that's
03:56a big one to keep an eye out for. The games don't get much easier because a few days after
04:00that they play Tottenham away, so in that Christmas period, which again, fans would
04:05love that sort of period. Newcastle don't have too many home games, starting with Ipswich
04:09on the 21st of that weekend, again, all TV. They've got Ipswich away that game four days
04:14before Christmas, similar stuff to where they had Luton last year, then they've got
04:17Villa, as mentioned, on Boxing Day, then Manchester United away after that and then the first
04:21game in the new year will be against Tottenham away. So that's a tricky run of games, so
04:26you've sort of got a decently started thing, you've got to be confident with the start
04:29with Southampton born with Tottenham, Fulham and Wolves, all that play in their first five.
04:34They'll be confident in doing well then and then we'll talk about the end of the season
04:38where they've got Brighton, Chelsea, Arsenal, Everton, tough end of the season, again that
04:41Christmas period as well with Ipswich, Villa, Man U and Tottenham there. It's another crucial
04:45part of the season. Of course there's no easy games in the Premier League, but their games
04:50and their periods of the season are the ones that are really going to test them. If they
04:54can have some good results in those games, I think they'll fancy themselves to have a
04:58good season. I think the headlines are, as mentioned, Southampton at home, or the three
05:03home games being the first game at home, Boxing Day and the final game of the season, all
05:08at home, Southampton, Villa and Everton respectively. Midweek trips, as a host of Liverpool midweek,
05:15they've got ones against Manchester United around Christmas, Tottenham around Christmas.
05:21It's a fixture list which is difficult in parts, as it always is, but I think Newcastle,
05:25especially at the beginning of the season last year where they had some very tough games,
05:27I think they'll fancy the chance to get off to a good start next year. If they get off
05:32to a good start, who knows what can happen, but that's the way the fixtures have gone
05:36this year. Even though it's only June, Euros are just one week in, I think a lot of people
05:42are already getting excited for the new season. Of course, the best way to stay up to date
05:45with all the latest Newcastle United transfer news and everything throughout the summer
05:49is of course with the Shields Gazette.
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