Newcastle will be reacquainting themselves with the real pantomime villain, Jordan Pickford, when they play Everton on the opening Saturday of the new Premier League season, according to a leaked set of fixtures.
Believe it, or don’t, but take it with a large pinch of salt until tomorrow’s official release.
Pickford, the unexpected star of the amazing comeback at St James’ Park in March, will be in for a torrid afternoon as thousands of Geordies descend on Merseyside to remind him of his bountiful gaffes last season.
Thankfully for fans, if correct, the game is set for a traditional 3.00pm kick-off on the Saturday afternoon, which is still the best time to watch a match.
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Other notable games included on the apparent list have defending champions Manchester City with a tricky opener at Wolves on Monday Night Football, Liverpool at Burnley on the Saturday tea-time game.
Newcastle’s season will be defined by owner and manager, not fixtures
Newly promoted trio Norwich City, Sheffield United and Aston Villa have allegedly been handed games at Spurs, Bournemouth and home to Leicester respectively.
Newcastle, of course, do not know who will be in charge for that game, or even who will own the club, with so much speculation around at the minute.
But certainly, the answer to both those questions will go a long way to deciding whether fans will be confident of winning it or not.
The true fixtures, in full, will be released tomorrow morning, and we will bring you full details as soon as they become available.
Sadly, we cannot offer you any clue to Sunderland’s opening game, because the lower, less significant leagues have to wait another week to discover their fates.