Can Newcastle United qualify for the Champions League this season?
Can Eddie Howe and his squad repeat that 2022/23 season, that got them entry into the top competition?
Newcastle United fans dreaming of more Champions League nights.
Home AND away.
So what are the chances of it becoming reality…
This is how the Premier League table currently looks on Saturday (7 December 2024) morning:
Premier League Table 7 December 2024
On first glance, qualifying for the Champions League not looking too great.
Man City, Arsenal and to an extent, Liverpool, pulled away from the rest last (2023/24) season.
However, after spending over £1.5billion on new signings these past 30 months, that weight of cash has seen Chelsea now get in amongst that top grouping, as things currently stand.
Newcastle United finding themselves six points behind fourth placed Man City, then eight points or more adrift of the top trio.
However, a Champions League qualifying route remains very much open to Newcastle United as things stand.
At the end of last season, an extra place in the Champions League was awarded to the Bundesliga and Serie A, as those countries had the best overall performances in European competitions last season.
It was the first time these extra places were awarded, as part of the expanded 36 club ‘Swiss League’ Champions League format.
If though this had been operating previously, then five of the six seasons before 2023/24 would have seen England one of the top two countries overall, in European competitions.
This season the signs are promising, Football365 reporting that as things currently stand in the three European competitions, it would see England and Portugal getting an extra place each in the 2025/26 Champions League.
It is really all to play for, as you can see, only three points currently separate Brighton in fifth and Newcastle United in twelfth.
That race for fifth and possible/probably Champions League qualification is totally wide open.
Apart from Liverpool, no Premier League team has shown any great consistency.
Once you get outside the top four, that is even more so.
If a club can find that consistency, then any of those currently fifth to twelfth could quickly find themselves in a very strong position.
A win for Newcastle United would be massive today at Brentford, especially if they could then go on and add victories against Leicester and Ipswich in the following two PL games.
If Eddie Howe’s team could pick up nine points in these next three PL matches, then I think that would all but guarantee they’d be in fifth place heading into the Villa home match on Boxing Day.
It is still all to play for for Newcastle United, plus of course the small matter of a home win over Brentford in 11 days time would also send NUFC into a two-legged cup semi-final in the new year.
Newcastle United upcoming matches confirmed to end of January 2025:
Saturday 7 December – Brentford v Newcastle (3pm)
Saturday 14 December – Newcastle v Leicester (3pm)
Wednesday 18 December – Newcastle v Brentford (7.45pm) Sky Sports+ (Carabao Cup)
Saturday 21 December – Ipswich v Newcastle (3pm)
Thursday 26 December – Newcastle v Villa (3pm) Amazon
Monday 30 December – Man U v Newcastle (8pm) Sky Sports
Saturday 4 January – Tottenham v Newcastle (12.30pm) TNT Sports
Sunday 12 January – Newcastle v Bromley (3pm) BBC iPlayer (FA Cup)
Wednesday 15 January – Newcastle v Wolves (7.30pm) TNT Sports
Saturday 18 January – Newcastle v Bournemouth (12.30pm) TNT Sports
Saturday 25 January – Southampton v Newcastle (3pm)