Newcastle United fixtures: Sky Bet Championship 2016/17

Rafa Benitez and his Newcastle side travel to Fulham for their Sky Bet Championship opener on Friday August 5, live on Sky Sports 1 HD.

Having agreed to stay despite the drop, Benitez faces an interesting battle against another relegated side on September 24 when they travel to Aston Villa, now led by another ex-Chelsea boss Roberto Di Matteo.

St James' Park will host another team to drop out of the top flight Norwich City four days later.

The Championship run-in has thrown up a few firecrackers. They play the top two teams in League One last season, Wigan and Burton, at the start of April, swiftly followed by a Yorkshire double against Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds.

They finish the season at home to Barnsley on May 7.

Newcastle United Sky Bet Championship fixtures 2016/17:

August

5: Fulham (a)
13: Huddersfield Town (h)
17: Reading (h)
20: Bristol City (a)
27: Brighton (h)

September

10: Derby County (a)
13: Queens Park Rangers (a)
17: Wolverhampton (h)
24: Aston Villa (a)
28: Norwich City (h)

October

1: Rotherham United (a)
15: Brentford (h)
18: Barnsley (a)
22: Ipswich Town (h)
29: Preston North End (a)

November

5: Cardiff City (h)
19: Leeds United (a)
26: Blackburn Rovers (h)

December

3: Nottingham Forest (a)
10: Birmingham City (h)
13: Wigan Athletic (a)
17: Burton Albion (a)
26: Sheffield Wednesday (h)
31: Nottingham Forest (h)

January

2: Blackburn Rovers (a)
14: Brentford (a)
21: Rotherham United (h)
28: Brighton (a)

February

1: Queens Park Rangers (h)
4: Derby County (h)
11: Wolverhampton (a)
14: Norwich City (a)
18: Aston Villa (h)
25: Bristol City (h)

March

4: Huddersfield Town (a)
7: Reading (a)
11: Fulham (h)
18: Birmingham City (a)

April

1: Wigan Athletic (h)
5: Burton Albion (h)
8: Sheffield Wednesday (a)
15: Leeds United (h)
17: Ipswich Town (a)
22: Preston North End (h)
29: Cardiff City (a)

May

7: Barnsley (h)