Former Sunderland player Don Hutchison has weighed in on Newcastle United’s chances of qualifying for the Champions League.
The Magpies boosted their hopes of returning to Europe’s competition on Wednesday night when goals from Alexander Isak and Sandro Tonali cancelled out Brentford winger Bryan Mbeumo’s penalty to secure all three points at St James’ Park.
Newcastle United are currently sixth in the Premier League table, but could move into the top four with a win against Leicester City on Monday night if other results go their way.
Eddie Howe’s side missed out on European football for the 2024/25 campaign after Manchester United’s FA Cup win, but their historic Carabao Cup win has ensured they play Europa Conference League football as a minimum next season.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 4 |  ChelseaChelsea | 30 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 54 | 37 | 17 | 52 |
| 5 |  Man CityManchester City | 30 | 15 | 6 | 9 | 57 | 40 | 17 | 51 |
| 6 |  NewcastleNewcastle | 29 | 15 | 5 | 9 | 49 | 39 | 10 | 50 |
| 7 |  Aston VillaAston Villa | 30 | 13 | 9 | 8 | 44 | 45 | -1 | 48 |
Newcastle also have a game in hand over Manchester City and Chelsea, winning that game could also see them leapfrog both teams into the top four. A boost for the Magpies is that it is looking increasingly likely that there will be an extra Champions League spot up for grabs, so a fifth-placed finish should still be enough for a return to Europe’s top competition.
Newcastle players expect to return to the Champions League, but the pressure is on them to deliver that.
With the Magpies eager to finish the season off strong, Don Hutchison has given his verdict as to whether they will finish in one of the top five spots at the end of the season.
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Don Hutchison gives Newcastle United little hope of Champions League qualification
Despite playing for Sunderland in his career, Hutchison still likes to give his thoughts on Newcastle and Howe when acting as a pundit for ESPN.
Following the defeat to Brighton at St James’ Park last October, Hutchison admitted he was ‘worried’ for Newcastle as they were slipping down the Premier League table. Newcastle have had a meteoric rise up the table since that result, however.
Hutchison was born in Gateshead and grew up watching the Magpies at St James’ Park, but has previously admitted a deep love for Newcastle’s arch rivals.
Speaking on ESPN FC’s Extra Time show, Hutchison was asked what Newcastle’s chances of qualification for Champions League are.
“I still think it’s about 25% because there’s four teams all the way down to Villa who can all make the top five,” he said.
“I think Newcastle are in it. The fixtures are difficult; they’ve just got the ride the wave. The victory against Brentford after the Carabao Cup final was unbelievably important because they couldn’t afford to drop points; it would just deflate them a little bit.
“Why not? I’d say that was about 25%.”
The answer seemingly shocked for Newcastle goalkeeper Shaka Hislop, who said: “So all four teams have the same percentage. Has Don just copped out of that question?”
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Newcastle United must look forward to hugely important game in May
While Howe will have his sights set on Newcastle’s trip to Leicester on Monday, there is another game which fans will have one eye on in May.
The Magpies are currently fighting with Chelsea and Manchester City for the final Champions League places, but the game against the former on May 10th could define Newcastle’s Premier League season.
It was recently announced that the game has been given an early kick-off time of 12:30 for TV purposes, rather than the original 3pm kick-off it had. However, the game could still be moved to the day after if Chelsea advance to the next round of the Europa Conference League.
Newcastle lost the reverse fixture at Stamford Bridge last October, but can take comfort in the fact that they have already beaten them on home turf this season.
A goal from Isak, coupled with Axel Disasi nodding the ball into his own net, sent Newcastle into the Carabao Cup quarter-finals. Fans will be hoping for similar fortunes when Enzo Maresca’s side come back to Tyneside in May.
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