Newcastle may lose Champions League place because of Man Utd
According to UEFA rules, each country can only have a maximum of five teams in the Champions League. If they win the Champions League and Europa League this season, Chelsea and Man Utd will automatically have a place in the Champions League next season. They will occupy the first two slots in the quota of English football.
The remaining three slots will belong to the top three teams in the Premier League. Therefore, even if they enter the Top 4 in the Premier League, Newcastle may not be able to participate in the Champions League.
Chelsea will play two Champions League quarter-finals against defending champions Real Madrid on April 12 and 18. If they win, the owner of Stamford Bridge will go to the semi-finals to meet the winner of the Man City - Bayern pair. In the English Premier League, Chelsea are 10th with 38 points after 27 matches, nine points behind Newcastle.
Man Utd will play two Europa League quarter-finals against Sevilla on April 13 and 20. If they continue, the "Red Devils" will meet the winner in the Juventus - Sporting pair.
The fact that a European champion occupied the Champions League spot of the fourth-placed Premier League team happened in the 2011-2012 season. Chelsea finished sixth in the Premier League, but qualified for next season's Champions League as champions. Meanwhile, Tottenham must attend the Europa League despite finishing fourth in the English Premier League. At that time, UEFA only allowed each country a maximum of four teams to participate in the Champions League.
Newcastle are currently fifth in the Premier League 2022-2023, with 47 points from 26 games, two points behind fourth-placed Tottenham but playing two fewer games. They are only three points behind third-placed Man Utd.
Newcastle also have a schedule with both direct competitors. On April 2, they will host Man Utd and on April 23, they will play at home again with Tottenham. The Northeastern team also has a match with another opponent in the Top 4, against Arsenal on May 6.
In stage one, Newcastle drew 0-0 Man Utd at Old Trafford, beat Tottenham 2-1 in London and drew Arsenal 0-0 at the Emirates Stadium. They lost 0-2 to Man Utd in the League Cup final at the end of February.
Newcastle began to improve since being acquired by the Saudi Arabian Investment Fund at the end of 2021. Last season, they ranked 11th in the Premier League. Newcastle have won the English championship four times, but the last time was in the 1926-1927 season. Their most recent title is the First Division championship in the 2016-2017 season.
