Champions League silver lining emerges for Newcastle United | OneFootball

Champions League football and Newcastle United.

The club and fans hoping to return to the competition for the 2025/26 season.

The Champions League 2023/24 campaign was an adventure, as well as having all kinds of boosts for the football club, not least the financial ones for Newcastle United.

That time it was the proverbial group of death, as eventual semi-finalists PSG were in United’s group, as well as eventual losing finalists Borussia Dortmund, plus the small matter of AC Milan completing that group…of death.

If qualifying this season, then in 2025/26 Newcastle United would be guaranteed at least eight matches against eight different opponents, in the new Swiss League format.

So what chance have Newcastle United of qualifying?

Well, I would argue that on Sunday, NUFC made a massive stride forward.

Nobody, least of all me, wanted to see Newcastle United knocked out of the FA Cup.

However, I don’t see how anybody can deny that in reality, there is a real Champions League silver lining due to this happening.

For this small Newcastle United squad, competing in three competitions so late in the season would have been a massive ask.

Towards the end of May, I think every chance that you will be looking back and thinking that this idiot (me!) wasn’t wrong. That taking the FA Cup out of the equation could just have made the difference when it came to Champions League qualification or not.

Have a look at the following…

All remaining Newcastle United fixtures and the dates of the remaining FA Cup rounds:

Monday 10 March – West Ham v Newcastle (8pm) Sky Sports

Sunday 16 March – Newcastle v Liverpool (4.30pm) Carabao Cup final! Sky Sports

(Weekend of Saturday 29 March –  FA Cup quarter-final weekend)

Wednesday 2 April – Newcastle v Brentford (7.45pm)

Monday 7 April – Leicester v Newcastle (8pm) Sky Sports

Sunday 13 April – Newcastle v Man U (4.30pm) Sky Sports

Wednesday 16 April – Newcastle v Palace (7.30pm)

Saturday 19 April – Villa v Newcastle (5.30pm) Sky Sports

Saturday 26 April – Newcastle v Ipswich (3pm)

(Weekend of Saturday 26 April –  FA Cup semi-final weekend)

Saturday 3 May – Brighton v Newcastle TBC

Saturday 10 May – Newcastle v Chelsea TBC

(Saturday 17 May –  FA Cup final)

Sunday 18 May – Arsenal v Newcastle

Sunday 25 May – Newcastle v Everton (4pm)

As you can see, Newcastle have West Ham away in a week’s time. The last five visits to West Ham, Newcastle are  unbeaten against the Hammers, winning three and drawing two. No reason at all why we can’t go there and win again, with West Ham having such a mediocre season.

The Carabao Cup Final then follows and whatever will be will be, with that one.

However, after that, I think now a huge opportunity has opened up for Newcastle United.

Due to no FA Cup commitments, there will now be a 17 day gap between the Cup Final and when Newcastle play again, at home to Brentford on Wednesday 2 April.

If Newcastle had progressed in the FA Cup, then we’d have had an FA Cup quarter-final on the weekend before that Brentford match, almost certainly against Forest (they play Ipswich on Monday night (tonight) in the FA Cup). Such an FA Cup game would have massively impacted on NUFC and our small squad, plus you just know we would have ended up getting put on the Sunday if getting into the last eight.

Whilst some of the Newcastle United players will be on international duty, the bulk of the squad will have that 17 day gap after the League Cup Final to regroup and refresh, including the NUFC squad heading off for a warm weather training break in Dubai.

The whole NUFC squad will be back together in the midweek of Wednesday 26 March and instead of preparing for an FA Cup last eight game on the weekend, they will have the luxury of a full week to prepare for that Brentford home match in the Premier League.

The physical demands have become all too apparent, with Eddie Howe having to rely on the same players time after time. Sunday was a perfect example of this, players looked knackered the longer the Brighton match went on, whilst the more games and minutes on the pitch, especially when a lot of matches in quick succession, far greater the risk of injuries.

In terms of potential Champions League qualification, if Newcastle can get a win at West Ham, then when they return to Premier League action in April, a golden opportunity.

A run of games seeing Newcastle home to Brentford, away at Leicester, home to Man U and Palace.

I can see a refreshed Newcastle United without the extra FA Cup commitments, having every chance of picking up 10-12 points from these four games. If so and assuming a win at West Ham as well, that would see Newcastle having 57 or 59 points with six Premier League matches left to play.

If Palace get past Fulham, they will be playing Newcastle away from home only a week and a half before an FA Cup semi-final at Wembley. Palace can’t be relegated and won’t have anything to play for in the Premier League looking upwards, so pretty safe to say they will be massively prioritising the FA Cup.

United then play Villa away on Saturday 19 April. We have already seen how badly their Premier League form has suffered due to Champions League commitments, well if they get past Club Brugge, Villa will have the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final in the midweek before facing NUFC!

I think as well that every chance by then that Villa can’t do anything in the league and if they get past Preston in the next round, they will have an FA Cup semi at Wembley the weekend after playing Newcastle. Plus a Champions League semi-final first leg in the midweek following that possible Wembley appearance!! Fair to say that things could be falling Newcastle’s way and we just need to take advantage.

If going all the way in the FA Cup then I think every chance it would have totally killed any hopes of Champions League qualification.

Especially when you have this daft thing of the FA Cup Final played before the end of this season.

Imagine Newcastle playing an FA Cup Final and this pushing the Arsenal away match into the final midweek of the season, having to play the Gunners away after the demands and excitement (and disappointment…???) of an FA Cup final, plus then the scouse mackems a few days after that in our very final Premier League game?

Thing is as well, Arsenal are second favourites for the Champions League this season and I think no surprise if they make the final. If they do so, that would mean they play Newcastle 13 days before that CL final, plus every chance Arsenal nothing to play for in the Premier League by then, very likely having guaranteed second place already behind Liverpool.

No doubt plenty of you will be saying that is a lot of ifs and buts BUT they are ifs and buts very much in Newcastle’s favour.

I haven’t even mentioned the fact that we play Brighton in between the FA Cup semis and Final, when no surprise if they have got by then qualified for a second appearance of the season at Wembley.

As I said earlier, no Newcastle United fan would have chosen to go out of the FA Cup but just maybe, it will prove to have played a major part in qualifying for the Champions League.