Abeid: Newcastle can cope with difficult Christmas schedule

Newcastle midfielder Mehdi Abeid is confident the club’s nightmare Christmas schedule won’t plunge the club back into crisis mode.

Alan Pardew’s men face a gruelling series of fixtures, taking in games against Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham, derby rivals Sunderland, Tottenham, Everton and Manchester United.

Take into account their current fitness woes, with a number of senior men out injured and a handful of others managing niggles or playing through pain, and the ride could soon get rough.