Eddie Howe admits it’d feel like a huge disappointment if Newcastle United were to fall short of Champions League qualification.
The Magpies host Everton at St James’ Park on the final day of the 2024-25 Premier League season knowing a win will guarantee a return to Europe’s premier competition.
United sit fourth in the table on the goal difference with fifth-place Chelsea and sixth-place Aston Villa also on 66 points. Seventh place Forest have 65 points.
Newcastle United’s Champions League fate is in their own hands
Howe said: “I think that’s what we would ask, to be at home in front of our supporters. It’s in our hands. I don’t think we can ask for any more at this moment. Then of course you have to do the difficult part and take that opportunity and it’s by no means a given.
“Everton have been in really good form. They’ve been difficult to beat, haven’t conceded a lot of goals so we know the challenge is a big one.
“They’ve got threats in their team as well so we’re going to have to be focused, concentrate on what we need to do to win the game and hopefully then the crowd can carry us through.”
Howe added: “At the start of the season, actually, the first few games were difficult for us. If you cast your mind back, I think we got a couple of good results but performances weren’t quite where they needed to be.
“I think then if you go back to that period, and certainly we spoke about the Brentford game a lot, but after that game, if you’d put us in this position, you’d have said it was a monumental effort from the players to catapult us up the league.
“Yeah, with a chance of qualifying for the Champions League with one game to go, winning the cup like we did, we would have taken that for sure.”
Newcastle United don’t want to rely on favours from other teams
Forest and Chelsea play each other while Villa travel to Manchester United but Howe isn’t relying on results from other teams.
“I don’t think we can look for any favours from anybody,” Howe added. “We have to do our bit, and that’s purely going to be the only thing in our minds.
“There’ll be no talk of other results or other teams. What we’ll be will be in that respect afterwards. We’ll see and reflect but for us we know what we have to do.”
Eddie Howe’s stance on playing in the Europa League
Newcastle could end up playing in the Europa League next season if they lose against Everton and Aston Villa defeat Man United. If Chelsea and Forest draw, then the Blues and Villa would occupy the remaining spots in the top five.
The Europa League is viewed as a far more favourable competition to win – just look at 16th place Tottenham Hotspur – but Howe desperately wants Champions League football instead.
“No, we’ll go for the highest that we can,” Howe said. “That’s always been my philosophy. We’ll go for the top and see where we can go. If that’s not to be, then we’ll try and fall in line and try and get the best competition that we can.
“But the Champions League is our aim. No disrespect to any other competition, but that’s where we want to be.”
And what if they miss out? “It will feel like a huge disappointment to us because we’ve been in there fighting all season,” he said, “Well, not all season, probably the two-thirds of the season in those positions.
“I think if we were to miss out, that would be a tough one to take. But yeah, then you have another chance the next season to go again. But I think we know what we need to do and what we want to do. And all our emotions are towards that.”
