An interesting backdrop to the Premier League run in for Newcastle United.
The irony of it.
A season where Newcastle United have relentlessly had to face the challenge of playing pretty much every midweek (unless an international ‘break’…) as well as weekends, due to the demands of playing across so many competitions.
Now Eddie Howe and his players to experience the flipside of this.
On Sunday, Newcastle United are away at Crystal Palace, hoping to kickstart a final seven match run of positive results.
Eddie Howe with a free week and a half or so to prepare with all of his players after the internationals were concluded.
However, for Oliver Glasner and his Palace team, they have a major distraction.
Sunday’s match at Selhurst Park will kick off only around 64 hours after Crystal Palace have played the first leg of their European quarter-final against Fiorentina. Having gone through so many matches in Europe this season, plus so much travelling, it is inconceivable to think that Palace won’t be throwing absolutely everything at this quarter-final.
Glasner’s team are in no man’s land in the Premier League, they won’t be bothering the upper end of things and at the same time are ten points clear of the bottom three with no realistic threat of relegation. Crystal Palace play the second leg of their quarter-final in the midweek following the NUFC match, so they will be absolutely throwing everything at their European chances surely.
Crystal Palace are favourites to lift the trophy and the thought of following up last May’s FA Cup win with a European one only a year later…
When you consider Palace had never won a single major trophy in their entire history, to now stand a chance of two only 12 months apart and getting a place in next season’s Europa League if winning the Conference League, well, fair to say that playing Newcastle United in a meaningless game (for Palace!) won’t be the home side’s priority in the coming days. I can’t see anything but a much weakened Crystal Palace team on Sunday and indeed, a Palace side with other things on their mind.
The further irony is that it isn’t just the Crystal Palace match, all of Newcastle United’s next three away matches could see the home sides with huge European matches distracting them.
Newcastle play Arsenal on Saturday 25 April and with the hosts strongly fancied to get past Sporting Lisbon, the Gunners would then face the first leg of their Champions League semi-final on the Tuesday or Wednesday following the PL game against United.
Then Newcastle’s following away game is a similar scenario. If Forest get past Porto, they would be playing the second leg of their Europa League semi-final on the Thursday night before facing United at 2pm on the Sunday that follows.
The final irony of course is that for Newcastle United and other clubs, qualifying for Europe then makes it so much more difficult to repeat the trick the following season, due to the extra demands of European football…
Which of course is where the clubs with the most money and the best strength in depth squads, have such a huge advantage.
Seven Premier League games to go and Newcastle United are four points off guaranteed European football of some kind, seven points off the Champions League qualifying places. Whilst also still the possibility that if results this season for English clubs in Europe fall the right way and the same in the Premier League, the European qualifying places could even drop as low as to the team that finishes eleventh in the Premier League this season.
Still plenty to play for.
Crystal Palace v Newcastle United – Sunday 12 April (2pm)
Newcastle United v Bournemouth – Saturday 18 April (3pm)
Arsenal v Newcastle – Saturday 25 April (5.30pm)
Newcastle v Brighton – Saturday 2 May (3pm)
Nottingham Forest v Newcastle – Sunday 10 May (2pm) is now confirmed.
Newcastle v West Ham – Sunday 17 May (3pm) TBC (TV choices awaited for this weekend)
Fulham v Newcastle – Sunday 24 May (4pm) is confirmed. All Premier League matches kick off same time and date in final PL round of games.