Newcastle United are set to travel to Villa Park for their Premier League opener against Aston Villa on Saturday, but Fabian Schar will be left fuming with an official announcement ahead of the game.
The Premier League is back, and Eddie Howe will be keener than ever to push higher up the table after a fantastic fifth-place finish in the 2024/25 campaign.
Newcastle United secured Champions League football on the final day of the season despite losing to Everton at St James’ Park. Pre-season has been far from positive for the Magpies, who failed to pick up a single win in their six games.
The summer has also been marred by speculation that Alexander Isak could leave Newcastle, with the Sweden international refusing to be reintegrated with the first team.
In the meantime, Howe has been working behind the scenes to improve his starting XI ahead of the new season, with Anthony Elanga arriving and Malick Thiaw soon to be announced.
With the game fast approaching, the Premier League has confirmed something for Newcastle’s first fixture, which is sure to give defender Fabian Schar nightmares.
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Craig Pawson to referee Aston Villa vs Newcastle United
Newcastle have a poor record at Villa Park, with just two wins in their last 10 visits, but the hope is that the Magpies can start the campaign off with a bang, so the poor pre-season can quickly be forgotten.
However, Schar will be livid to find out that Craig Pawson will be the man with the whistle for Newcastle’s Premier League opener.
The pair have an interesting history in the Premier League after a controversial decision in Newcastle’s opener against Southampton last season. Schar was shown a straight red card by Pawson for moving his head towards the face of Ben Brereton Diaz, who fell to the floor.
Fans were livid with the decision, and Schar missed the next game as a result. Pawson officiated four of Newcastle’s games last season, a goalless draw against Everton, where he awarded the Magpies a penalty, a 2-0 defeat at home to West Ham and a 1-1 draw at Brighton.
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What was said about Fabian Schar’s red card for Newcastle United last season
Thankfully, Newcastle still picked up a 1-0 win against the Saints, despite Schar’s red card. A first-half goal from Joelinton was enough to seal the deal and hand the Magpies all three points on opening day.
Howe and Schar will hope there is no such controversy against Villa, as the decision could prove more costly against a better side than Southampton.
In the aftermath, it was clear that pundits were on Schar’s side. Alan Shearer called Brereton Diaz ‘pathetic‘ for his role in the sending off. Elsewhere, Mike Dean said the decision was ‘really soft’.
The only person to back Pawson’s call was Southampton boss Russell Martin, who claimed the decision would have been overturned by VAR if it was not a clear and obvious error.
While Schar has a history with Pawson, he may not even start Saturday’s game. Thiaw could take his place in the starting XI if he gets up to speed in training, though Howe may opt to keep his more experienced player in the team for the opener.
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