Aston Villa chief left furious as Premier League make announcement that could impact Newcastle United

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Newcastle United are aiming to finish above Aston Villa and qualify for next season’s Champions League.

Qualification is in the Magpies’ hands, as they prepare for three massive games against Chelsea, Arsenal and Everton.

Newcastle will qualify for the Champions League if they beat Chelsea and win one other game. That is because only one of Chelsea, Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa will then be able to overtake them.

Aston Villa unhappy with fixture change

Aston Villa need results to go their way for them to secure back-to-back seasons in the Champions League, while they have now been told that one of their fixtures has been changed.

Their penultimate game against Tottenham Hotspur will now take place on May 16th rather than May 18th following a request from Ange Postecoglou’s side.

They want longer to prepare for the Europa League final, assuming they get past Bodo/Glimt in the semi-final.

Aston Villa objected, but have been ignored by the Premier League.

The decision to rearrange the game has not gone down well at Villa Park, with their president of football operations Monchi reacting to the decision on X.

Monchi wrote: “The change of the fixture of Tottenham is not what we wanted. We were not entitled to keep it and we got the least damaging alternative. Our fans didn’t deserve but we tried hard to keep the match to protect the most important for us: YOU and OUR TEAM. We need you on Friday. Always Up the Villa!!!”

Chelsea will also play on that Friday, with Enzo Maresca’s team taking on Manchester United.

What this means for Newcastle United

With Villa and Chelsea now playing their penultimate games of the season two days before Newcastle United are in action, it will be interesting to see whether or not that helps or hinders them.

On the one hand, it will give them a chance to put pressure on the likes of Newcastle, who do not play until the Sunday. They face Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

Alternatively, Villa and Chelsea have less time to prepare for their second to last game compared to their rivals. They also may face stronger Tottenham and Manchester United teams, as they will have longer to prepare for a potential Europa League final.

All Newcastle United can do is focus on themselves. Qualification remains in their hands, which is why Alan Shearer thinks Newcastle will get the job done.

Fingers crossed he is right.