Away from deadline day drama and the frantic transfer market, Newcastle United supporters are eagerly anticipating the long-awaited return of Champions League football.

With blockbuster clashes against Barcelona at home and another away night in Paris versus PSG, European fixtures under the lights can’t arrive quickly enough following a sluggish start to our Premier League campaign.

In our debut under the competition’s new ‘League Phase’ format, we’ll be meeting a collection of European heavyweights and ex-champions, each offering a huge test of Howe’s side.

Yet, significant turmoil behind the curtain at one of our upcoming rivals may actually tilt things in our direction…

German powerhouse Bayer Leverkusen have dismissed Erik Ten Hag ahead of their Champions League meeting with Newcastle after poor form and reported disputes with both players and the club’s hierarchy.

Newcastle visit Leverkusen on December 10th for our sixth of eight league phase fixtures, but there will be a fresh face on the touchline after Ten Hag was fired following only two Bundesliga matches.

In a club statement, Leverkusen announced: “Training duties will be handled by the assistant coaches for now.”

Having overseen just three competitive fixtures in total, Ten Hag has now set the unwanted Bundesliga record for the fewest league appearances before being shown the door.

The ex-Manchester United boss had only just arrived in Germany after Xabi Alonso left for Real Madrid. In their last outing against Werder Bremen, Die Werkself squandered a 3-1 lead and numerical advantage, eventually drawing 3-3.

In a little over three months, we’ll make the trip to the BayArena for Matchday 6 of this year’s Champions League campaign.

We previously met the Germans in the 2002/03 group stage, claiming convincing wins home and away, and the upcoming December fixture could follow a similar script if Leverkusen’s current form persists.

As for potential replacements, Spaniards Xavi and Cesc Fabregas have been linked, though the latter seems tied to Como, while free agent Ange Postecoglou and Palace boss Oliver Glasner are also tipped, according to bookmakers.

That said, the 2023/24 Bundesliga winners and former Champions League runners-up remain a dangerous outfit despite this summer’s fire sale: we just hope there’s no “new manager bounce” that revives their title credentials like in the past two seasons.