There are just two weekends of the Premier League season remaining, yet Newcastle United are not yet safe. Far from it, in fact. John Carver's men sit just two points and a single position above 18th-placed Hull City heading into Saturday's crucial clash with already-relegated Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road. Five teams - Aston Villa, Leicester City, Sunderland, Hull and, of course, Newcastle - could all still join QPR and Burnley in the Championship next season, so the Magpies desperately need a result this weekend. Newcastle and QPR may have enjoyed mixed fortunes last weekend - the Magpies ended a run of eight consecutive defeats by securing a 1-1 draw at home against West Bromwich Albion, while the Rs were hammered 6-0 at Manchester City - but this match is likely to be decided by very slim margins. Goals have been hard to come by for both sides in recent months, while both have conceded far too many at the other end - with these two teams having leaked the highest (QPR) and second-highest (Newcastle) number in the Premier League this season. These three key head-to-heads could go a long way to deciding who triumphs at Loftus Road on Saturday (3pm kick-off) - and whether or not Newcastle United can retain their Premier League status for another season.
NUFC editor for WhatCulture.com/NUFC. History graduate (University of Edinburgh) and NCTJ-trained journalist. I love sports, hopelessly following Newcastle United and Newcastle Falcons. My pastimes include watching and attending sports matches religiously, reading spy books and sampling ales.
