Come on, come on. This is a real opportunity to vastly enhance dreams of European glory and Wembley trophy winning. A double capital challenge up here on Tyneside within the blink of an eye.

Newcastle vs Fulham followed by Newcastle vs Arsenal four days later. London pride waiting to be punctured. May we have two Magpie victories.

Fulham are first and we owe them big time. They beat us 3-1 at Craven Cottage early doors when we weren't invincible away and apart from Champions League qualification points being essential, confidence must not be eroded before the considerable challenge of Arsenal confronts us. Wembley and the Carabao Cup final is not to be sniffed at with a belief growing that this time United can claim silverware. It feels like a pivotal moment in our season.

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Not make or break because a win followed by another would not guarantee anything, neither Champions League nor a shiny pot, but defeats would virtually break us. Lose to the Gunners by enough goals and the League Cup has gone for another season while surrender to Fulham would leave too much ground having to be made up yet again with the clock ticking.

United must fight to make sure major home blips against Brighton, West Ham and Bournemouth don't happen once more. We cannot be generous again while we retain ambition. The points forfeited at Craven Cottage must be clawed back.

There were reasons for that defeat back in mid-September, United's first of the season. Apart from horrendous individual mistakes United's England pairing at full-back, Tino Livramento and Lewis Hall, weren't in tandem and Sandro Tonali had not at that point established his dictatorship of midfield. All three only came on as subs. Additionally Alexander Isak had yet to find his startling scoring groove.

United had played half-a-dozen fixtures and he had netted only once. He was blank during the next four but then off he went. The great plunderer. Now Isak has 17 PL goals and 19 altogether. Another outstanding season guaranteed after 25 last time round the mulberry bush. I would suggest this is a different Newcastle to last time . . . Livramento, Hall, Tonali, Isak are proof of that.

As for our hosts until they lost a dreadfully dull home match to Man U 1-0, Marco Silva's side had been defeated only once in their previous 11 games in all competitions drawing six and winning four. Not startling form of course given only a quartet of wins but decent. So a warning but no reason to fear.

If United currently have a problem it is beneath the surface. The accepted starting XI are top quality but those on the bench raise some concern. Joe Willock and Sean Longstaff are looking strangely below their best level for differing reasons, Kieran Trippier has great qualities but rust is beginning to gather, Lloyd Kelly has yet to live up to his reputation, Harvey Barnes is missing through injury but has not in any way consistently justified a £38m outlay, and Will Osula is a baby in terms of development.

Yes, Lewis Miley is an encouragement and Nick Pope is now back in the picture as is Sven Botman, but if a team is only as good as its weakest link then overall the bench is that worry. United's performance inevitably drops when substitutions are made rather than them invigorating the team. Injuries could kill everything.

However let us concentrate on our big hitters and an unbelievable run of 10 victories in United's last 11 fixtures. If we live day to day, round of matches to round of matches, then this weekend inevitably throws up crucial confrontations. For example Geordies will wish Brighton to peg back Nottingham Forest in the early Saturday kick off, Liverpool to halt the Bournemouth juggernaut as we do battle, then Aston Villa to be denied victory in their Midlands match up at Wolves come tea time. On to Sunday and Man City may find it difficult at Arsenal and a stuttering Chelsea may just face a challenge from fellow Londoners West Ham. Aye, we're greedy but why not?

Meanwhile the stage is set for back to back SuperMac derbies - Newcastle v Fulham and Newcastle v Arsenal. Capital gain or pain? May my pal who spectacularly starred wearing both battle fatigues first listen then watch as much as he can over both games while recovering at home and be cheered by a couple of Magpie triumphs. He is an adopted Geordie after all.