Newcastle United will soon discover their Champions League fate.
With five games to go, Eddie Howe’s side are in a strong position to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
As long as Newcastle United finish in the top five of the Premier League, they will be back in Europe’s elite competition. Their fate is in their own hands, as five wins from five will guarantee Champions League qualification. That is obviously easier said than done.
Alan Shearer thinks Newcastle will qualify, as the Magpies look to bounce back against Ipswich Town on Saturday following their defeat to Aston Villa.
Champions League changes discussed for 2025/26
If Newcastle United do reach the Champions League, they will take part in a very different tournament to the one they were involved in during the 2023/24 season.
Clubs now compete in a 36-team league, playing eight games rather than six. The new format helped Aston Villa, who made it to the quarter-finals after navigating the league stage with ease.
There could now be even more Champions League changes on the horizon, as UEFA make plans for next season.
According to Bild, UEFA are considering making three changes to next season’s competition.
The first would see extra-time be abolished in the knockout stages. Instead, games would immediately go to a penalty shootout if they are level after two legs.
The second change would give teams that finished in the top eight of the league phase home advantage in the second leg of knockout games. That is only currently the case in the round of 16. This change would give the higher ranked team home advantage in the second leg of the quarter-final and semi-final as well.
Finally, the third change involves clubs from the same country playing against each other. As it stands, clubs from the same country can play against each other immediately after the league phase. The change would stop this from happening until the quarter-finals.
No group of death for Newcastle United
Whether those changes are implemented or not, Newcastle United are aiming to qualify for a very different Champions League.
The Magpies were given an unenviable task last season, drawn in the group of death alongside Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan and Borussia Dortmund.
Newcastle had to play three European heavyweights home and away. Howe’s side ultimately finished bottom of their group and crashed out of Europe.
That would not happen next season. There will be no chance of a group of death if Newcastle qualify.
The league phase now means that clubs face off against eight different opponents – two from pot one, two from pot two, two from pot three and two from pot four.
The new format would benefit Newcastle, as it would give them a stronger chance of advancing to the knockout stages of the competition.
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