Newcastle United will be hoping to maintain an excellent Premier League campaign, with the Magpies' remarkable improvement under the stewardship of PIF and Eddie Howe showing no sign of stopping.
A run of five consecutive triumphs has remarkably left the club sitting in third place, having lost only one of their opening 15 top-flight matches. Excitement and promise is now sweeping through the city.
Nevertheless, results and performances across the festive period are likely to be pivotal for every team's ambitions and Newcastle are no different. Howe will be aware that a strong showing upon the recommencement of fixtures could, potentially, result in a best finish since 2003.
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The upcoming January transfer window is also likely to play an important part in proceedings. Sporting Director Dan Ashworth is known to have held talks with Howe during the mid-season tour of Riyadh.
Whilst a Carabao Cup round of 16 clash against Bournemouth marks Newcastle's return to competitive action following on from the World Cup, their first Premier League outing is a boxing day visit to Leicester City.
Brendan Rodgers' side will be in a confident mood themselves. Their woeful start to the season has been countered by a James Maddison-inspired recovery, with the reported Newcastle target registering seven goals and four assists.
And, unbeknown to some perhaps, the Foxes could well benefit from how events have played out in Qatar. Seven players from the East Midlands travelled to the Middle East with their national sides, though Rodgers has already welcomed back six of those.
Danny Ward, Wout Faes, Timothy Castagne, Youri Tielemans, Nampalys Mendy and Daniel Amartey have all reported back to club duty ahead of vital preparation, something that could prove significant if Leicester are to become the second team to beat Newcastle this season.
However, the absence of mercurial Maddison, who remains part of England's travelling party, may be equally damaging. The 26-year-old averages a goal every 161 minutes, with Harvey Barnes coming closest to that by netting every 212 minutes.
Only time will tell if the current presence of six World Cup stars benefits Leicester and, possibly, hinders Newcastle's chances of success. But if one thing is for certain, the Magpies will fancy their chances against any outfit they come up against.
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