Newcastle set for Champions League lifeline? - A glimmer of hope for Eddie Howe

Newcastle's hopes of qualifying for next season's Champions League have been boosted, with the Premier League currently in pole position to have FIVE teams in the 2024/25 tournament based on UEFA coefficient rankings.

As revealed by Opta, England currently sit top of the table with a 77% chance of getting an extra spot in the Champions League, which could allow 5th place in the Premier League to qualify for the UCL as it moves from 32 to 36 teams from next season onwards.

That is despite both Manchester United and Newcastle finishing bottom of their groups, but it is the efforts of Man City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Brighton which could do the Magpies a huge favour.

Newcastle are still 10 points off of Villa - currently 5th - in the table, though the Birmingham side are struggling for form a little bit with just one win in their last six games, including three home defeats on the bounce.

While it is not the expectation at the minute given Newcastle’s position, the fixture list looks fairly kind for the Magpies and they could yet make a late push with more players expected back from injury soon.