Ranking Newcastle’s last 7 games by difficulty

Newcastle United only have seven opponents left on their schedule, but how many games can they win?

Newcastle United have been enjoying their football over the last few months. The Magpies’ performance record in 2019 consists of five wins, two draws and four losses. The 17 points Newcastle have earned since January 1st is the fifth best tally in the Premier League.

Compared to other bottom half teams, Rafa Benitez’s side has the most lenient schedule to close out the season on paper. That being said, let us take a look at each opponent and rank them by difficulty from one to seven, with one being the most difficult opponent and seven being the most favorable opponent.

7. Fulham

This game is ranked seventh for a few reasons. Firstly, Fulham’s season is all but over as they sit in the bottom three in 19th place, in large part because they have conceded 70 goals. At present, Fulham are 13 points behind 17th-placed Burnley. This game will be the season finale for both teams, so there will not be any pressure to perform for a result, only for the supporters.

6. Southampton

On April 20th, Newcastle will host Southampton at St. James’ Park. The Saints have been inconsistent all season and their tally of seven wins is the third-worst in the bottom half of the table. Newcastle have been hot at home in 2019 and that trend should continue against the relegation-threatened Saints.

5. Brighton

Brighton will host Newcastle on April 27th and this is expected to be a close match. Brighton exceeded expectations in the first half of the season, but things have turned for the worst since then. Over their last 12 games, Brighton have the third-worst record in the league with three wins, three draws and six losses. Brighton will put up a fight to stay ahead of Cardiff City, but Newcastle should be the favorites.

4. Leicester City

Three weeks from now Newcastle will face Leicester City at the King Power Stadium. The Foxes are playing more attacking football with Brendan Rodgers on the sideline, but they are still inconsistent. Leicester City have not faced a back-line that is better than Newcastle’s since February 23rd. For that reason, this match is ranked at number four.

3. Crystal Palace

Crystal Palace will travel north in two weeks for what should be a very competitive match with plenty of action. Palace have the talent to be a top ten side, but they tend to take their foot off the pedal at times. Palace boast a better defensive record than Newcastle and they score goals in a plethora of ways, especially from set pieces. There is no way that the winner of this match wins by more than one goal.

2. Arsenal

Newcastle’s next match is on April 1st at the Emirates Stadium in London. Arsenal are only one point shy of third place and they have won seven of their last ten matches. Newcastle have been stellar away from home this season, but Arsenal have been in top form at home. The Magpies will be underdogs in this match against an Arsenal side that has bombarded opponents with 63 goals this season.

1. Liverpool

This game is self-explanatory, right? Newcastle already defeated Manchester City to put a temporary dent in their hopes for the title, but Liverpool will play with urgency to avoid that mistake. Liverpool cannot afford to drop any points at St. James’ Park on May 4th or they could miss out on the title. Moreover, the disparity in quality between Liverpool and Newcastle is visible from space and this is the key reason why it will be Newcastle’s most difficult match.