Newcastle Eyeing Champions League Return
All eyes will be on Newcastle United next season as they look to bring European football back to St.James’ Park.
Newcastle finished 7th last season and thought they had managed to qualify for the Europa Conference League; however, 8th placed Manchester United had other ideas as they won the FA Cup. This saw them take Newcastle’s place in Europe and also Chelsea’s place in the Europa League.
Not being in Europe could be a blessing for manager Eddie Howe, who had lots of injury struggles last season. Much of this was due to the small squad struggling with the fixture congestion caused by Newcastle being in the Champions League.
Now, they want to get back to battling nearer the top of the division, and the 2024/25 campaign should see them have a big chance of finishing in the top 4 or the top 6.
All the small variables are tipping in their favour. They have less fixtures this season than any team in the Big 6, with Newcastle’s top 4 rivals like Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Spurs all being in different European competitions this season.
More so, another team who recently upset the ‘Big 6’ is Aston Villa, and no doubt their squad will struggle to be at their best for every game now that they have Champions League football during 2024/25.
Newcastle are one of the richest clubs in the world since their takeover. With no Europe, they may feel like they cannot attract all the players they want this summer; however, Eddie Howe proved how good his current squad are in 2022/23. The club had no European football and managed to finish 4th.
There is no doubting that Newcastle have a lot of things favouring them this campaign, and if they can boost their squad with a couple of marquee signings then their fan base will definitely have a lot to celebrate this season.
It is a big statement of intent if they can burst the ‘Big 6’s’ bubble like they did a couple of seasons ago.
The current odds suggest Newcastle are the most likely team not in the ‘Big 6’ to break into the top 4. Those looking for an introduction to betting could do worse than backing the Magpies to finish in the top 4, at roughly the same likelihood as Spurs.
This is no doubt very exciting for Newcastle fans to see, and they will be very excited for the new Premier League season to start.
