Liverpool and Chelsea have now well and truly opened up a route, for Newcastle United still qualify for the Champions League?
Yes, whilst these last couple of weeks have been dominated for Newcastle United by this current 2025/26 Champions League campaign, something else has gone under the radar.
Two brilliant Premier League wins, defeating third placed Man U with only ten men, then a quality victory away at Chelsea, who were then fifth in the table.
I wrote about this on Saturday morning, the possibility for Newcastle United to now get Champions League.
Now on Sunday, the prospects look even better.
Obviously a great run of Premier League form needed BUT if United make it three PL victories in a row today, against Sunderland.
Then with seven matches to go, Newcastle United would be Champions League contenders.
Let’s have a look at…
Liverpool have now won only four of their last 13 Premier League matches. The scousers have (2025/26) Champions League and FA Cup distractions and having lost 2-1 at Brighton (and Hugo Ekitike limping off after only eight minutes) yesterday, they now play five of the current top eight in their seven remaining matches. Liverpool have to play Everton, Man U and Villa away, plus Chelsea and Brentford at home.
Chelsea have now won six of their last 19 Premier League matches, won only one of their last six PL games. They still have to play Man U, Man City and Liverpool in their final seven PL matches.. Chelsea also having FA Cup commitments.
Aston Villa are dropping like a stone and have Europa League distractions. Villa have lost their last three Premier League matches, have only won one of their last seven PL games. They play West Ham today, who have had a bit of a revival (only one defeat in their last six PL matches), so more lost points for Villa today would further damage them. Their last two PL games of the season are Liverpool at home and Man City away.
Newcastle United have just won against Man U and Chelsea. With no distractions in other competitions, the remaining NUFC fixtures are against Sunderland (currently 13th in the table), Palace (14th), Bournemouth (12th), Arsenal (1st), Brighton (10th), Forest (17th), West Ham (18th) and Fulham (9th). If United win today against the Mackems, then Eddie Howe’s side will be above all of these teams they still have to play, apart from Arsenal.
Not an impossible scenario that United end up playing a number of teams who by then have nothing to play for apart form where in mid-table they finish, Arsenal could already have the title in the bag and be concentrating on other challenges, whilst very likely by the time NUFC face Forest and West Ham, that the relegation places are sorted.
Bonus fifth place
Newcastle United played in this season’s Champions League due to the Premier League getting a bonus fifth place in the competition.
Despite four of six English clubs exiting the Champions League this week, two others progressed, as did the three English clubs in the other UEFA competitions.
Ahead of this past week, the Premier League was basically nailed on to get a fifth UCL place next season. Now they are even more nailed on.
Only Spain and Portugal can now overtake England BUT it is all but impossible for both of them to do so. It would take a crazy set of results for the Premier League to miss out, so it will be England getting one of the two bonus fifth places for sure.
Things then get even more interesting, the Shields Gazette getting in touch with UEFA, who confirmed:
“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.”
So there is even the possibility, of seventh place delivering Champions League football for Newcastle United!
Premier League table on the morning of Sunday 22 March 2026
As you can see, Newcastle United now currently seven points off fifth place.
If Newcastle win against Sunderland, United will be only four points off fifth with seven games to play.
Brentford could only draw 0-0 at Leeds last night.
Fulham did beat Burnley yesterday and of course Brighton and Everton won! However, we needed those last two wins over Liverpool and Chelsea to really open things up for Newcastle United’s chances.
Newcastle United would still need to go on some run…
Yes all of the above will be irrelevant, unless Newcastle United also go on a very good run of results.
Those two against Man U and Chelsea are a stunning start, then if also winning against Sunderland, things really become possible with seven games to go.
Between 14 December 2024 and 15 January 2025, Newcastle United won nine games in a row (in all competitions). These included beating Arsenal, Spurs and Man U away, as well as Villa at home.
Then between 10 March 2025 and 11 May 2025, Newcastle United won eight games out of ten and lost only one. The wins included against Man U, Chelsea and Liverpool (at Wembley). The 22 points from a possible 27 in March- May 2025 earned United their Champions League qualification, despite losing to Arsenal and Everton in the last two games of the season.
Eddie Howe and Newcastle United have now numerous times went on runs of positive results, these past four years. We could very well be in the early stages of another one now in the Premier League.
Timely return…
If Sunderland can be defeated on Sunday, the Newcastle United players will enter a three week spell of rest, recovery and preparation before then three weeks later set to play the first of seven massive games.
With Tino Livramento and others having recently returned to full fitness, Newcastle are also set to welcome back Bruno Guimaraes, Fabian Schar and Lewis Miley for the final seven matches.
With no other competitions to distract (unlike other clubs), a pretty much full squad to choose from and a full week to prepare (unlike certain others) for each of the remaining Premier League matches, with all the games (apart from Arsenal) against teams that are lower (if Newcastle win today) than NUFC in the Premier League, is it really mission impossible for Newcastle United to finish in a Champions League spot this season?
Get this win against the Mackems over and done with, then Eddie Howe and ourselves can look forward to the finishing stretch of this Premier League season with plenty of optimism and anticipation.