Premier League suffer European blow - What it means for Newcastle with 'miracle' needed

The Premier League's hopes of securing additional spots in next season's European competitions were dealt a major blow last night as Arsenal and Man City both crashed out of the Champions League.

UEFA's coefficient rankings mean the top two nations - currently Italy and Germany - will be granted an extra place in the 2024/25 Champions League, awarded to 5th in their respective tables. Many Newcastle fans were hoping England secured this, meaning 6th in the Premier League would qualify for the Europa League.

After Arsenal lost their UCL quarter-final at Bayern last night and Man City went out on penalties to Real Madrid, ESPN report that England's bid for an extra Champions League place will be over if results go against Liverpool, West Ham and Aston Villa tonight in their European quarter-finals. They believe a 'miracle' is now needed for England to finish in the top two ranking spots ahead of Germany or Italy.

Liverpool travel to Atalanta already 3-0 down after their Europa League first leg beating at Anfield, West Ham host Bundesliga winners Bayern Leverkusen after losing 2-0 in the reverse fixture and Aston Villa travel to Lille in the Europa Conference League after a 2-1 win at Villa Park.

Essentially, the coefficient spot seems to have slipped away, with Italy and Germany now heavy favourites after great results for Bayern, Dortmund, Leverkusen (2-0 up on West Ham), Atalanta (3-0 up on Liverpool) and AC Milan/Roma; the pair face each other in tonight's Europa League quarter-final, ensuring an Italian side makes the semis. It will take Liverpool and West Ham comebacks to overturn exits for Arsenal and Man City.

So, what does it mean for Newcastle? As things stand, 6th spot in the Premier League will only get Europa League if Man City win the FA Cup. They are the favourites, as Pep Guardiola's side play Chelsea in the semi-final then face the winners of Man Utd vs Coventry. However, if Man Utd or Chelsea win the FA Cup and we finish 6th, we'd have to settle for the Europa Conference League.

Essentially, Man City winning the FA Cup would guarantee 6th place gets Europa League and 7th place secures the Europa Conference League, giving us plenty of incentive to finish strongly over the final six games of the 2023/24 season. If Man Utd or Chelsea win the FA Cup and also finish 6th, 7th place would qualify for the Europa Conference League.

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