Newcastle United absolutely must qualify for Europe this season.
After competing in last season’s Champions League, Toon fans now have a taste for being back in Europe. And Eddie Howe‘s side almost qualified for Europe again last season, only to be denied by Manchester United and their FA Cup win.
Their triumph at Wembley delivered heartbreak for Newcastle United, and it has resulted in the Magpies only focussing on domestic duties for the 2024/25 season.
The lack of European football could help Newcastle, as it means they have fewer fixtures to contend with. That was a problem last season, as the injuries mounted up.
But with a clean bill of health, it should prove to be a much more successful season on Tyneside.
Alan Shearer has predicted Newcastle to finish fourth, which would mean a return to the Champions League. That would be an absolute dream, and it would be a major achievement given the calibre of competition in this season’s Champions League.
Jamie Carragher predicts how Newcastle will do in the Premier League this season
However, Jamie Carragher disagrees. He has been making his Premier League predictions on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football, and was asked to share where he thinks Newcastle United will finish this season.
The former Liverpool defender had not named Newcastle in his ‘top six’ prediction, nor did he name the Magpies as a ‘European contender’ like Gary Neville did.
This sparked debate on Sky Sports Main Event, with Carragher admitting that he thinks Eddie Howe’s side will once again miss out on Europe completely.
“Eighth or ninth,” he said.
“They might be ninth – or they might be sixth or seventh, I don’t know exactly where they’re going to go, do I?
“Newcastle are going to have to get a centre back over the line, especially with the suspension they have got from the weekend.
“I love Newcastle, I love Eddie Howe, if it was my choice he would be my next England manager but I think they just miss out on the European positions, like they did this year.”
Finishing as low as ninth would be failure for Newcastle United
That is a staggeringly low prediction from Carragher, and it would represent a failure from Newcastle United if it became a reality.
And that is a possibility, but not because Newcastle are not a good team. There is so much competition in the Premier League, with the likes of the Magpies, Aston Villa, West Ham United and Brighton all aiming to challenge the traditional ‘big six’.
But Newcastle will back themselves to force their way into the European positions again, just like they did during the 2022/23 season. The fighting spirit appears to be back, with Newcastle showing the kind of attitude against Southampton that saw them upset the apple cart and finish in the top four.
There was an ‘us against them’ mentality that saw Newcastle fight for everything, and that needs to be maintained throughout the campaign.
After missing out on Europe last season, there will be a sense of desperation to return this time round. And there will certainly be pressure from the owners to get back into Europe, as PIF are determined for Newcastle United to be constantly competing at the top for major honours.
Newcastle need a centre-back
As Carragher says, Newcastle are suddenly under even more pressure to sign a centre-back following Fabian Schar’s soft red card against Southampton.
He was sent off for a headbutt on Ben Brereton Diaz, who flung himself to the ground in embarrassing fashion. Shearer said Brereton Diaz was ‘pathetic’, but did concede that Schar was correctly sent off.
It means he will now miss Newcastle’s next three games, which increases the need for the Magpies to strengthen at centre-back.
Marc Guehi is the top target, although Newcastle have had four bids rejected for him so far. However, Newcastle still hope to sign Guehi from Crystal Palace.
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