Newcastle United have struggled for consistency so far this season, with some seriously impressive wins and some thoroughly disappointing defeats all within the first months of the campaign.
They have beaten Manchester City in the League Cup, Manchester United and Arsenal in the Premier League, and Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League. Still, they have also lost to Borussia Dortmund home and away, drawn with West Ham and Wolverhampton Wanderers and most recently lost to Bournemouth on the south coast.
Eddie Howe will be hoping that his side can refind their form following the international break and that their injury list starts shrinking as soon as possible.
Football FanCast has previewed and predicted their next six encounters, including four Premier League games and two Champions League games.
25th November
Premier League
Chelsea
H
28th November
Champions League
Paris Saint-Germain
A
2nd December
Premier League
Manchester United
H
7th December
Premier League
Everton
A
10th December
Premier League
Tottenham Hotspur
A
13th December
Champions League
AC Milan
H
Newcastle United v Chelsea
25th November, Premier League, St James' Park
Howe's side welcome the visiting Chelsea in their final league match of November.
The pair couldn't be split in their last meeting, which came at Stamford Bridge on the final day of last season. Kieran Trippier's own goal cancelled out Anthony Gordon's opener that afternoon, as the West Londoners were resigned to a 12th placed finish.
Five months on, the Blues are all changed, having appointed a new manager to the dugout. Former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino has replaced interim manager Frank Lampard whilst the club brought in several new additions over the summer.
One of those being Cole Palmer, who has impressed since joining from Manchester City in a £42.5m deal. The left-footed playmaker has scored four goals and provided two assists in six league starts so far this season, so the hosts will need to be wary of his threat.
Additionally, an away win over London rivals Tottenham Hotspur and a 4-4 draw with treble-winning Manchester City in their previous two games is sure to have given the side a confidence boost after their abysmal start to the season.
However, with home advantage, the Tynesiders could just edge this one in a cagey affair as the goal-shy visitors may find it difficult to break down one of the division's best defences.
Prediction: Newcastle 1-0 Chelsea
Paris Saint-Germain vs Newcastle United
28th November, Champions League, Parc de Princes
The tests keep coming in November as just a few days after hosting Chelsea, Newcastle will be jetting off to Paris for their Champions League group match against the French champions, Paris Saint-Germain.
While the Toon did lose to Borussia Dortmund home and away, they should be full of confidence for this encounter given their total domination of the side last time they met at St James' Park.
That game saw the hosts emerge as 4-1 winners in a result that stunned the Parisian side and the wider footballing community.
However, with their home win over AC Milan, PSG now find themselves one point off the top of the group and with home advantage, it's hard to see the game going the same way it did in England.
Add to that the fact that Kylian Mbappe is unlikely to have as bad a game as he did that day, and the ferocious home fans, we are struggling to see how the Toon can come away as winners from this one.
It'll be an entertaining game, with plenty of goals, but we think it might just be a step too far for this Newcastle side.
Prediction: Paris Saint-Germain 3-2 Newcastle United
Newcastle United vs Manchester United
2nd December, Premier League, St James' Park
There is no chance for Newcastle United to catch their breath after a hectic November, as their first game of an equally challenging December sees them welcome Manchester United to St James' Park in the Premier League.
We reckon it would be fair to say that while the Toon have had a few issues so far this campaign, Erik ten Hag's side haven't exactly had the best of seasons either.
Historically, it would usually be the Red Devils that go into this fixture as the favourites, but with how they have been playing this season and how good the Toon have looked when they are in full flow, the home side should be full of confidence for this one.
If they want some extra encouragement, they only have to think back a few weeks as they blew United away in the Carabao Cup, beating them 3-0 at Old Trafford.
That said, there is no such thing as an easy game against Manchester United, and the one thing ten Hag's team will have on their side is history.
In their last ten encounters, United have emerged victorious five times, while the Toon have won just three times. Although, they have won the two most recent.
Ultimately, it should be an enthralling encounter, and given that it's a Saturday night game, you can be sure that the fans will be in full voice. It might not be as good a result as they picked up at Old Trafford, but the Toon will have enough to pick up all three points.
Prediction: Newcastle United 3-1 Manchester United
Everton vs Newcastle United
7th December, Premier League, Goodison Park
Newcastle United will have five days to recover from their game against Manchester United on 2nd December before making the 119-mile trip to Goodison Park to take on a resurgent Everton side.
Now, had this game been taking place a month or two earlier, we might have predicted an easy win for the Toon, but with the Toffees' recent performances, we reckon this will be more of a challenge than it was last season.
The men in blue have started to look genuinely quite good under the management of Sean Dyche in recent weeks, and their results have backed that up. Three wins, one draw and one loss from their last five games is a vast improvement compared to where they were last season and is the kind of form they'll need to stay up this season.
Additionally, their recent points deduction could end up firing up the team and making them even more of a threat for travelling teams who aren't ready for the cauldron that Goodison is now sure to become.
That said, the Toon currently sit in seventh place with six wins to their name, and they have already beaten Arsenal, Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City this season, so while it won't be an easy game, they should have just about enough to get the job done.
Prediction: Everton 1-3 Newcastle United
Tottenham Hotspur vs Newcastle United
10th December, Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Just three days after their game at Goodison Park, Eddie Howe's Newcastle United will have to travel down to London to take on the Premier League's surprise package this year: Ange Postecoglou's high-flying Tottenham Hotspur.
The Lilywhites have gone from struggling in mid-table under the likes of Antonio Conte and Ryan Mason to spending most of this season atop the table and scoring for fun.
There is no doubt that the north Londoners have looked like one of, if not the best team in the league so far this year, but following their 4-1 loss to Chelsea that saw Micky van de Ven pull up with what looked like a hamstring problem and a potential injury to James Maddison, they could well be at their weakest when they host the Toon.
That said, the Magpies certainly have their own injuries to worry about, but with the memory of what they did to Spurs last time the two sides met still fresh in the memory, Howe's men could come away from this one with all three points yet again.
The prospect of Maddison not featuring should only further encourage the Toon, especially considering they have won two of the last three encounters between the two sides; we still think they'll have just enough to edge it, even away from home.
Prediction: Tottenham Hotspur 2-3 Newcastle United
Newcastle United vs AC Milan
13th December, Champions League, St James' Park
Three days after their trip to north London, Newcastle United play host as Italian giants AC Milan come to St James' Park in what could be a must-win game for both sides.
Should the Toon lose to Paris Saint-Germain on November 28th, their chances of reaching the knockout stages of the Champions League will become slim to none, but that doesn't mean there is nothing to play for against Milan.
While they wouldn't be able to go further in this competition, they would have the chance to drop into the Europa League instead, and if anything, that might be the better option at this point in time, as they would undoubtedly be one of the favourites to win that, and what better way to end a trophy drought than with a European one?
In terms of the game itself, the Toon will be hoping to do one better than their draw away in Milan and considering how they have dispatched PSG, Manchester City, Arsenal and several others at home this season, we don't see why they can't do the same to an inconsistent Milan side.
The Italians are third in Serie A but have only collected three more points than Newcastle, so we reckon that the Magpies will have just enough to come away with all three points from this one and qualify for the Europa League if progressing from the group is out of the question.
Prediction: Newcastle United 2-1 AC Milan