Massive Champions League boost for Newcastle United | OneFootball

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…

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 two 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’s combined results in European competition for each of the competing leagues?

This was the position before the European games this past week, the countries in the best position to get one of the two bonus places in the 2025/26 Champions League competition:

This was how the coefficient table looked on Monday:

1. England, 14.035 2. Italy, 12.562 3. Portugal, 12.450 4. Belgium, 11.900 5. Spain, 11.892 6. Germany, 10.640 7. France, 9.928 8. Sweden, 9.375 9. Czechia, 8.700 10. Cyprus, 8.687

The results for English teams this week in Europe have been:

Monaco 1 Villa 0

Liverpool 2 Lille 1

Arsenal 3 Dinamo Zagreb 0

PSG 4 Man City 2

Hoffenheim 2 Spurs 3

Man U 2 Rangers 1

So four wins and two defeats this past week.

This is how the coefficient table now looks on Friday morning:

1. England, 14.642 2. Italy, 13.062 3. Portugal, 12.450 4. Spain, 11.857 5. Belgium, 11.500 6. Germany, 11.125 7. France, 10.499 8. Holland, 9.332 9. Sweden, 9.125 10. Czechia, 9.100

As you can see, after this week’s results, the English teams have seriously increased the gap to third place Portugal, whilst Spain and Belgium have fallen further behind England, those two making up the top five.

This is how the Premier League table currently looks on Friday (24 January 2025) morning:

After nine wins from the last ten games, including six from seven in the Premier League, Eddie Howe’s side find themselves in fifth place, behind Man City on goal difference and two points behind fourth place Chelsea.

However, if Newcastle win at rock bottom Southampton on Saturday, they are guaranteed to move into the Premier League top five with only 15 PL matches left to play. It is fourth v fifth, Man City v Chelsea, so points will be lost by at least one of them. Newcastle guaranteed to be at least fifth after Saturday, potentially fourth if hammering Southampton and that Man City result working in our favour as well.

Forest are away at Bournemouth as well this weekend, wins for the Cherries and NUFC, would also see Newcastle move to within three points of third placed Forest.

Then the following weekend, Newcastle are home to Fulham. Six points from these next two matches would put United into a very very strong position with only 14 PL games remaining.

Last night when I was watching the Spurs and Man U matches in the Europa League, I had to laugh.

These two bottom eight of the Premier League teams, potentially giving United a massive leg up into next season’s Champions League. You can’t help but have conflicting emotions watching those games, your natural inclination is wanting them to get hammered BUT at same time knowing that them winning these European games will almost certainly help deliver that fifth Champions League place. Man U winning last night in added time, whilst Spurs almost threw away a two goal lead.

No Conference matches this week but when they do resume, Chelsea are massive odds-on favourites to win the whole thing, never mind individual matches, which is yet another reason why the Premier League looks nailed on to get that extra Champions League spot.

Newcastle United upcoming matches:

Saturday 25 January – Southampton v Newcastle (3pm)

Saturday 1 February – Newcastle v Fulham (3pm)

Wednesday 5 February – Newcastle v Arsenal (8pm) Sky Sports (League Cup)

Saturday 8 February – Birmingham v Newcastle (5.45pm) BBC1 and BBC iPlayer (FA Cup)

Saturday 15 February – Man City v Newcastle (3pm)