How Newcastle could end up in a relegation position by March

Newcastle United going winless in nine straight Premier League matches saw the club’s focus turn from battling for a mid-table finish to simply surviving. After a victory today for 18th-place Fulham and the schedules coming up for both clubs in the next three matches, the walls are closing in on the Magpies.

On 12/15/20, the day before the winless run started, Newcastle United sat 13th on the table with 17 points from 11 matches. On that same date, Fulham occupied 18th with eight points from 12 matches. A week later, Newcastle settled for a draw vs. 10-man Fulham.

Fast forward to today, Fulham still sit in 18th, but they have only one loss in their last five matches. They are up to 18 points from their 23 matches. The Magpies on the other hand have dropped down to 17th and have only 25 points from the same amount of matches.

With the safety net down to seven points, Newcastle find themselves in a tough spot. Over the next three matches, they face Chelsea today, then Manchester United, followed by Wolves. Unfortunately for the Magpies, Fulham face much easier competition to close out February with matches against Burnley, Sheffield United, and Crystal Palace.

The saving grace for Newcastle’s survival hopes has been that the three bottom clubs are so bad that they couldn’t find their way out. While Sheffield United and West Bromwich Albion seem to have punched their tickets to the Championship in 19th and 20th, that 18th spot is definitely in play. But, with crucial injuries stacking up for Newcastle and improved form for Fulham, three wins by Fulham and three losses by NUFC would have a spot in the bottom three set for Steve Bruce’s side before the calendar turns to Match.