Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe will be hoping for a return to the Champions League next season.
Newcastle United may have already secured a return to European football next season after winning the Carabao Cup, but all eyes are on a return to the Champions League.
Returning to Europe's elite competition would hand the Magpies a substantial boost in terms of Financial Fair Play and the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Regulations.
The finances available to the club both in terms of prize money and TV money dwarf that of the Europa League and Conference League, with a potentially game changing summer on the horizon.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of the clash with Brentford, Magpies boss Eddie Howe said: "There's no doubting the power of Champions League football.
"It could be game-changing in terms of revenue and also in terms of what it means and the competition, and then of course the changes that you have to make to be ready for Champions League football.
"That changes everything, as we found last year to our cost to some degree with the extra game, so there's a lot to think about. But for us, qualifying for that is going to be very, very difficult.
"There are, as we know, 10 games, there are a lot of teams competing for those places. It's one of the tightest Premier Leagues that we've seen in recent times, very little between the teams competing for those places, so it's going to come down to who is the most consistent."
Newcastle's destiny is well and truly in their own hands, two points adrift of Chelsea who occupy fourth place in the Premier League, in what is usually the final Champions League spot.
The Toon have a game in hand on the London side and can move above them if they make the most of it.
However, the Toon are also just a point behind Manchester City in fifth, with that also likely to be enough to secure a return to the Champions League this season, due to the current UEFA coefficients.
The Premier League is on course to see five teams compete in Europe's elite competition, due to the performance of English sides in this year's competition. But will Newcastle finish in the top-five?
Opta Analyst have crunched the numbers and are predicting the Magpies to finish on 64 points (64.04) and in fifth place come the end of the season. That of course, would be enough to secure a return to the Champions League, forgoing their current spot in the Europa Conference League in turn.
Liverpool are predicted to win the title on 89 points (88.84), Arsenal in second on 77 points (76.58), Nottingham Forest in third on 68 points (67.93), with Manchester City in fourth on 66 points (65.87).
Chelsea are predicted to miss out on Champions League football, finishing in sixth on 63 points (63.31), with Brighton in seventh on 61 points (60.83).