It’s come as little surprise to anyone that the race for the Champions League places in the Premier League is going to the final day. We always knew it would end like this.
Newcastle United’s narrow, spirited defeat at Arsenal means that, like they probably did beforehand, they have to beat Everton at St James’ Park on the final day. Doing so would guarantee their spot in the top five of the Premier League, and see Champions League football return to Tyneside. In truth, if they can’t beat the Toffees on home turf, in a Champions League shootout, you’d have to question whether they deserve to qualify, anyway.
It’s tight. Too tight to call. A win for Nottingham Forest, one for Aston Villa and Chelsea before that, sees all four teams go head-to-head on the last day - next Sunday teatime - with Man City, too, separated by two points. While Pep Guardiola & Co will likely breeze in, sitting in third, it’s more of a battle for the other four, who must now fit into just two spots. Will the Magpies end up on the right side of the line, well we certainly hope so here at NewcastleWorld - because, we, like you, are already dreaming of trips to the Allianz, Bernabeu and some old favourites, too.
So, trying to take uncertainty out of it - and get a fresh take and opinion - we asked AI tool Grok to predict where it thinks the Magpies will finish, as well as the where all of United’s other rivals will end up. And here’s what it said.
1. Southampton (20th) - 12 points
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2. Ipswich Town (19th) - 23 points
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3. Leicester City (18th) - 26 points
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4. Manchester United (17th) - 39 points
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