Newcastle United can still qualify for the Champions League even if they do not finish fourth, fifth or even sixth in the Premier League table at the end of this season
Newcastle United Manager Eddie Howe
Eddie Howe's hopes of getting Newcastle United where they want to be have a lifeline(Image: Newcastle United via Getty Images)
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UEFA's Champions League regulations confirm that Newcastle United could qualify for the competition next season by finishing as low as seventh.
The Magpies, though, would be reliant on Aston Villa and Liverpool, plus the Premier League earning one of two European Performance Spots. England are in line to have an additional place by having the highest average association club coefficients this season.
They top the standings on 24.791, almost four and a half points clear of Spain in second with 20.281, with third-placed Germany close to another point adrift on 19.428. Liverpool and Villa have to play their part too, though.
Seventh will only lead to Champions League qualification if the Reds win that competition, combined with Europa League success for favourites Villa. However, both clubs must crucially finish either fifth or sixth in the Premier League.
Villa came into this weekend fourth, two points ahead of the Reds in fifth and another in front of sixth-placed Chelsea. Newcastle, therefore, will have to hope the Blues can overtake one of those teams ahead of them.
That happening would see the top seven qualify for the Champions League. The eighth-placed team would then qualify for the Conference League, or the Europa League if a top-seven team wins the FA Cup.
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Ninth could also qualify for UEFA competition this season if a team that wins the Champions League, Conference League or Europa League finish eighth. Crystal Palace remain in the Conference League.
UEFA have confirmed to The Shields Gazette: "If Liverpool win the UEFA Champions League and finish 5th and Aston Villa win the UEFA Europa League and finish 6th, the EPS would be awarded to the seventh-ranked club in the EPL, in accordance with Article 3.08 and 3.09 of the competition regulations."
Eddie Howe spoke about Newcastle's Champions League ambitions after the defeat to Barcelona. He said: "Of course, this is where we want to be.
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"As much as today is a harsh scoreline on us and a painful experience, to see the players play as well as they did in the first half and execute 90% of what we wanted was a great feeling, a great sight. I don't think that all should be forgotten with the scoreline, as difficult as that is for everyone to see."
He added: "Our defending was not on a level that it was just a few days ago at Chelsea. It started with the first goal when two players slip and then we concede a set-play.
"Then probably the big moment is the penalty, so as well as we played in the first half, when I thought we were outstanding in many aspects - it was really a great representation of how we want to play - there were too many individual errors within the performance to carry that great performance through.
"Really, if we had defended anywhere near the level we can, I think we would have been leading at half-time."