A defining period for Newcastle United as vital six-game run starts tonight

Tonight feels like a big one for Newcastle United, who are looking to make it back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time this season.

Three points away to Coventry City would send the Magpies fourth in the table and give Matthias Jaissle the joint-second-best start by a Newcastle manager after six Premier League games.

After more than three weeks without a league fixture, Newcastle will be looking to build on that 2-1 win over Hull City, but also learn from the 4-1 battering at Leeds United in their last away league outing.

A winnable run in the Premier League 

Newcastle have an important opportunity to build momentum, with four of their next five Premier League fixtures coming against teams currently sitting 19th, 15th, 12th and 20th in the table.

Following tonight’s trip to Coventry (19th), we host out of form Aston Villa (15th)  before travelling to Crystal Palace (12th), with Everton then visiting St James’ Park in the league. Fulham (20th) away completes that five-game run, and the Cottagers have serious issues as they sit bottom of the pile following Saturday's defeat to Ipswich.

There are certainly challenges within that sequence, particularly against an Aston Villa side who will provide a stern test and a few away trips to London, but it is a run we should be looking to take advantage of; starting tonight.

Jaissle has spoken about his desire to implement an energetic, vertical style of football, and this next stretch of fixtures should provide a clearer indication of how quickly his players are adapting to his ideas.

Quarter-final spot up for grabs 

There is also a significant cup test on the horizon after wins over Championship sides West Brom and Millwall in the last two rounds.

Newcastle travel to Everton in the Carabao Cup later this month, with a place in the quarter-finals at stake.

A strong result at the Hill Dickinson Stadium would keep hopes of another cup run alive, but first, the focus must be on the league.

Win tonight and Newcastle will climb to fourth, giving Jaissle a timely boost ahead of a defining few weeks. After the disappointment at Leeds and a lengthy international break, the opportunity is there for us to make a statement. Let's make it count.