Newcastle United face tough fixtures in weeks three and four, how has the opening weeks gone? And can they score some points in the coming fixtures? After week one of the 2015 2016 Premier League, Newcastle United seemed to be off to a solid-enough start under the new management of Steve McClaren. They didn't nab a win in their opening fixture, but they did manage a 2-2 draw against Southampton-a team that beat them 4-0 last fall. All things considered, escaping that match with one point in the standings instead of zero was good news for the Magpies, and predicted a better season to come for the embattled football club.

Now, though, just a week and a half later, things are looking a good deal less promising for McClaren's soccer squad. Following an 0-2 loss against Swansea City this past weekend, the wearers of the Newcastle United shirt 2015 2016 are currently ranked in 15th place on the Premier League table. That fact, by itself, is no big deal: after all, Newcastle United are currently ahead of reigning league champions Chelsea, and rankings are bound to change around a lot this early in the season anyway.

Rather, the bad news for Newcastle United is that their week three and four fixtures are some of the toughest matches they are likely to face between now and December-a fact that could put the Magpies at or near the bottom of the table before McClaren even has had much of a chance to establish his new squad.

Week Three: Manchester United

Newcastle's week three match, scheduled for Saturday, August 22nd at Manchester United, seems particularly unlikely to go the Magpies' way. For one thing, Man United will have the home field advantage; for another, they'll also have the momentum, having won their first two matches (against Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa, respectively) to take up residence near the top of the Premier League table.

Add the fact that Newcastle United have sidelined four of their players for Saturday's match-defender Paul Dummett, midfielders Remy Cabella and Sylvain Marveaux, and forward Emmanuel Riviere-and the Magpies will need to find some stroke of good luck to win Saturday's match, or to even escape with a draw. Realistically, a draw may be the best that Newcastle can hope for here: the Magpies have only beaten Man United once in the past decade, and it was during Manchester's dismal 2013 2014 season.

Week Four: Arsenal

Newcastle will have a better shot at scoring points on August 29th, when they face Arsenal for week four of the 2015 2016 Premier League. The Magpies will have the home field advantage for that match, and based on how the Gunners have struggled in the first two weeks of the new Premier League football season, Arsenal may be vulnerable anyway.

Indeed, the Gunners, though expected to be a potential contender for the 2015 2016 Premier League title, got off to a very disappointing start, losing 0-2 in their opening week match against West Ham United. They did manage a win in week two, against Crystal Palace, but new goalkeeper Petr Cech still conceded a goal, and Arsenal only got a win instead of a draw because Crystal Palace defender Damien Delaney scored an own goal. The score, of 2-1, hardly reflects how sloppy the 2015 2016 Arsenal squad continues to look.

Arsenal also have a tough draw in week three-against Liverpool football club-so the outcome of that match could influence the soccer squad's momentum heading into week four.

As with Manchester United, the Magpies don't have a good record of beating Arsenal in recent years: their last victory against the Gunners came in November 2010. With that said, though, the Magpies held their own against the Gunners when the two squads played at St. James' Park in March, with Arsenal only winning 2-1. Now, with Arsenal looking somehow weaker than they have in years, it might be the perfect time for Newcastle to score an upset.

Do you think Newcastle United have a shot at scoring points in weeks three and four, or will they pick up another two losses and dip further down the 2015 2016 Premier League table? Pick up a new Newcastle United football shirt 2015 2016 from Soccer Box, then find us on social media to follow our Premier League coverage. We are currently active on multiple networks including Facebook, Pinterest, and Tumblr.