Newcastle United are fighting on three fronts as they enter the business end of the 2024/25 campaign.
Strap in for an exciting end to the season with Newcastle United still in the race for two domestic trophies and potential Champions League qualification.
Sunday’s dramatic 4-3 win over Nottingham Forest put Newcastle right back into the mix for a Champions League spot as a top-five finish should be enough to qualify.
Eddie Howe was expected to return to Europe this season, but he has exceeded all expectations by leading Newcastle back to Wembley for the 2025 Carabao Cup final next month.
Newcastle are also through to the fifth round of the FA Cup with Brighton set to visit St James’ Park on Sunday afternoon.
Alan Shearer makes Newcastle United Champions League prediction
Alan Shearer praised Newcastle for their win over Forest on the weekend, and those vital three points have lifted the Magpies back up to fifth in the Premier League table – now just three points away from third.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 3 |  Nottm ForestNottingham Forest | 26 | 14 | 5 | 7 | 44 | 33 | 11 | 47 |
| 4 |  Man CityManchester City | 26 | 13 | 5 | 8 | 52 | 37 | 15 | 44 |
| 5 |  NewcastleNewcastle | 26 | 13 | 5 | 8 | 46 | 36 | 10 | 44 |
| 6 |  B’mouthBournemouth | 26 | 12 | 7 | 7 | 44 | 30 | 14 | 43 |
| 7 |  ChelseaChelsea | 26 | 12 | 7 | 7 | 48 | 36 | 12 | 43 |
With 12 games remaining, it seems the Champions League qualification spots will go down to the wire. Alan Shearer has now had his say on whether Newcastle will make it or not.
Speaking on The Rest is Football, Shearer backed Newcastle to return to the Champions League as long as they don’t get distracted by the cup final.
“They have been flaky this season at times, though, it’s difficult to predict,” Shearer said. “I know they went on that great run when they were scoring and winning every game they were playing.
“But when you look at West Ham, Fulham, Bournemouth, City last week – the first half they were outstanding, the second half they were totally outplayed by Forest.
“So I’d like to think so, they’ve got Liverpool on Wednesday which is a really tough game. I’d like to think they would be able to get into the top five as long as they don’t let the cup final affect them.”
Eddie Howe cuts out Newcastle cup final distractions
Every Newcastle fan will remember the agony of the 2023 Carabao Cup final, and Howe is eager to make changes this time around.
Howe said players were “exhausted” before the final in 2023 due to the very emotional and overwhelming build-up to the game. Newcastle got carried away with the idea of ending the trophy drought.
This time around though, Howe plans to change Newcastle’s preparations for the cup final by reducing the amount of media attention and interviews before the trip to Wembley.
READ MORE: Anthony Gordon makes interesting revelation ahead of Newcastle United vs Liverpool Carabao Cup final
Shearer suggested Newcastle were distracted by the idea of Wembley when they suffered a 4-0 defeat to Manchester City last week, but Howe is eager to keep his players focused on the next game.
Regardless of whether Newcastle win or lose that final – there is still so much to play for in the remaining few months.
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