Newcastle’s chance of a top four Premier League finish has dramatically increased after a stellar few weeks have seen them climb the table.
Three wins on the spin, four in all competitions, have seen the Magpies accelerate up to fifth in the league after languishing in the bottom half for the majority of the season.
Champions League qualification now feels very much attainable for Eddie Howe’s side, particularly if an English side is to win it this season. But, there’s plenty of work to be done, especially if the Toon want to be the masters of their own fate and not rely on a route into the Champions League via fifth place.
Top-four odds updated by bookies
Newcastle are being tipped at 9/2 to achieve a top four finish, with Sky of the opinion we are most likely to finish fifth.
They expect the current top three of Liverpool (1/500), Arsenal (1/100) and Chelsea (1/12) to stand resolute, and to be joined by Manchester City (8/11) – I mean they have to start winning games at some point, don’t they?
Even if / when they do start putting points back on the board, they would have to outperform us for the rest of the season as they now sit a narrow one point behind us. A big drop off is expected by Nottingham Forest (15/2) who currently occupy the fourth spot.
Then come Aston Villa (9/1), followed by Spurs and Man Utd at 11/1, with the Red Devils in danger of falling 10 points behind us if we can record a rare win at Old Trafford on Monday night.
What a difference four games can make!
In my head it still feels quite sensationalist to believe that we can push for top four – in the sense of how I have felt throughout the season as a whole – but it’s recently become a realistic prospect again with a feel of optimism in the approach to every fixture.
A stark contrast to the mood that followed our 4-2 defeat at Brentford, when we were in the bottom half and there was a fear that our season could be in danger of drifting away if we didn’t respond over the final three weeks of December.
An aggregate score of 14-1 in our favour over the next four games can be considered an appropriate mood easer, let’s not forget our semi-final qualifying redemption over the Bees in that time, and the next four games things can get even better.
Old Trafford and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in massive back-to-back away days against sides we can really hurt, a Bukayo Saka-less Arsenal at the Emirates in the first leg of the aforementioned Carabao Cup semi – and our first FA Cup game of the season, back at St James’ Park against Bromley.
If, and it’s a big ask of course, we can replicate the results from our previous four games coming into the next four we really have to be considering just how far this season can go. Let me not get ahead of myself yet, though.
