Five Premier League teams will battle it out for three Champions League places on the final day of the season, with Newcastle boss Eddie Howe saying he “had the feeling it would go right to the end”.
Arsenal’s 1-0 win over the Magpies on Sunday ensured they join champions Liverpool in next season’s Champions League.
But it leaves Newcastle as one of three teams on 66 points, alongside Chelsea and Aston Villa, with Manchester City and Nottingham Forest on 65 points.
Five English sides will qualify for the Champions League through the league, up from the usual four, with an extra place secured because of positive results by Premier League clubs in Europe this season.
Sixth-placed Manchester City have a game in hand, at home to Bournemouth on Tuesday, meaning their fate is in their own hands, unlike Villa.
Beaten FA Cup finalists City then visit Fulham on the final day.
Newcastle, meanwhile, know a home win against Everton next Sunday (16:00 BST) would successfully finish the job.
Chelsea also know a win would be enough. But… they visit Forest, who beat West Ham 2-1 on Sunday to keep their own hopes alive.
Forest need to beat the Blues and hope at least one team above them slips up.
Villa will probably need to win at Manchester United and hope for favours elsewhere.
Still following?
The winners of Wednesday’s Europa League final between Manchester United and Tottenham will also qualify for next season’s Champions League, meaning there will be a sixth English team in the competition, but that has no impact on any league permutations.
With Spurs and United in the bottom five of the Premier League, whoever loses in Bilbao will have no European football of any kind next season.
Another European finalist, Chelsea, could have a say in what other English teams qualify for various European competitions, but more on that later.
