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Newcastle United face a frustrating three-week gap without a fixture later this month after the Magpies’ trip to Tottenham Hotspur was postponed.

Spurs’ passage to the FA Cup quarter-finals following a 6-1 fifth-round replay victory over Rochdale on Wednesday night means their match with Newcastle at Wembley on Friday, March 16, must be rescheduled.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side will instead travel to the Liberty Stadium on Saturday, March 17, to take on Swansea City in the last eight of the Cup.

With an international weekend commencing on Saturday, March 23, Rafa Benitez’s side already faced a two-week hiatus in their fixture list - but that has now been extended by a further week.

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Given that March 18-March 30 is part of the international calendar, FIFA will not permit a domestic fixture to be played during that window.

The Magpies must now endure a 21-day gap between their home clash with relegation rivals Southampton on March 10, and their subsequent fixture against fellow strugglers Huddersfield Town at St James’ Park on March 31.

Such a delay is likely to have significant ramifications for the relegation dogfight; in one sense the gap may benefit Newcastle as they will have three weeks to prepare for a huge match against Huddersfield, but it will also mean Benitez’s men must go 21 days without a competitive fixture at a crucial stage in the campaign.

What’s more, Pochettino’s Tottenham are also to the last 16 of the Champions League and host Juventus in the second leg on March 7, with the tie evenly poised at 2-2.

Spurs’ involvement in Europe complicates matters further in terms of when the Newcastle game could potentially be rescheduled for; the further the north London club progress in the FA Cup and the Champions League, the longer the potential postponement of the fixture against the Magpies is likely to be.

UEFA is also reluctant to allow domestic matches to be played on Champions League nights so, even if Spurs are knocked out by Juventus, taking on Tottenham during a midweek in which European games are already scheduled could prove problematic.

United will play just three times throughout March, despite having faced a sixth of their Premier League schedule over just 18 days during the hectic festive schedule.

Last month, the Magpies also played only three matches - in stark contrast to the seven Championship matches Newcastle navigated during February 2016.

Whether the 21-day gap in Newcastle’s fixture list proves to be a benefit or a hindrance to the Magpies’ cause remains to be seen - but it is certainly not ideal to go three weeks without a competitive match, particularly given the majority of their relegation rivals will be given an opportunity to pick up points during that time.

Newcastle United’s revised March fixture list:

Liverpool vs Newcastle United - Saturday (5.30pm kick-off)

Newcastle United vs Southampton - Saturday, March 10 (3pm kick-off)

Newcastle United vs Huddersfield Town - Saturday, March 31 (3pm kick-off)