What do Newcastle United need for a European spot in final two games?

The Magpies, who are currently sixth in the table, head to Old Trafford on Wednesday evening to face Manchester United before taking on Brentford at the Gtech Community Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

What do Newcastle have to do to secure European football for next season – and who are their rivals in the race for continental competition?

WHERE DO NEWCASTLE HAVE TO FINISH FOR EUROPE?

At the moment, the answer is that it’s still not clear. The allocation of the European places via the Premier League is affected by who wins the FA Cup final, so there are three different scenarios that could play out.

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If Manchester City win the FA Cup final on May 25, all three of England’s places in the Europa League and Conference League will be allocated through league positions. The teams finishing in fifth and sixth position would qualify for the Europa League, with the side finishing seventh securing a spot in the play-offs for the Conference League.

If Manchester United win the FA Cup final and finish in either fifth or sixth position then there will only be two European spots available via league placings. The other team finishing either fifth or sixth would join Manchester United in the Europa League, with the side finishing seventh heading for the Conference League play-offs.

The most complicated scenario is Manchester United winning the FA Cup final but finishing in seventh position or lower. If this happens, the team finishing fifth would qualify for the Europa League, with the sixth-placed side securing the spot in the Conference League play-offs. Seventh would not be good enough for Europe in this scenario.

WHO ARE IN THE RUNNING FOR THE EUROPEAN SPOTS?

5 TOTTENHAM (p36, 63pts)

Games remaining: Man City (h, tomorrow), Sheff Utd (a, Sunday)

Pedro Porro celebrates after scoring against Burnley (Image: PA)

Having had something of a wobble in recent weeks, Tottenham pretty much guaranteed themselves European football of some description when they ended a four-game losing run by beating Burnley at the weekend.

Spurs still have a chance of scrambling into the Champions League, although their hopes of making the top four will be extinguished if Aston Villa beat Liverpool this evening. Even if Villa fail to take all three points, the fact that Spurs host title-chasing Manchester City in their penultimate fixture tomorrow means they are extremely unlikely to make the Champions League.

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Ange Postecoglou’s side look like finishing in fifth position, which would mean a place in the Europa League no matter what happens in the FA Cup final. Given their final game is at Sheffield United, it is hard to see them failing to get the one point they need to categorically confirm finishing in the top five.

6 NEWCASTLE (p36, 57pts)

Games remaining: Man Utd (a, Wednesday), Brentford (a, Sunday)

Sean Longstaff is congratulated after scoring against Brighton (Image: PA)

Newcastle had got themselves into a strong position with back-to-back wins over Sheffield United and Burnley, but Saturday’s failure to see off Brighton at St James’ Park has put their European hopes back into the melting pot.

Wednesday’s trip to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United is going to be crucial. If Newcastle can avoid defeat, their superior goal difference means they are effectively guaranteed to finish above Manchester United and claim a top-seven spot. That will be good enough for Europe if City win the Cup final. The Magpies won at Old Trafford earlier this season in the Carabao Cup, but have only won one of their last 38 league matches at the ground.

After heading to Manchester, Newcastle complete their league programme with an away game at Brentford. The Bees, who are currently 16th, have nothing to play for, but they won at Bournemouth at the weekend and have lost just one of their last five games.

7 CHELSEA (p36, 57pts)

Games remaining: Brighton (a, Wednesday), Bournemouth (h, Sunday)

Nicolas Jackson celebrates after scoring against Nottingham Forest (Image: PA)

Chelsea’s resurgence is probably the biggest thing standing between Newcastle and a European place. Having looked unlikely European candidates a month or so ago, the Blues have won three games on the spin to put themselves right back in the mix.

Their remaining fixtures are also reasonably appealing, with a trip to Brighton on Wednesday evening preceding a home game with Bournemouth at the weekend. Brighton caused Newcastle problems at the weekend, but have won just one of their last eight games. Bournemouth have lost four of their last seven.

Chelsea’s key players are in decent form – Cole Palmer, Nicolas Jackson, Conor Gallagher – and Reece James was back off the bench at the weekend. It would be no surprise to see them end the season with two wins.

8 MAN UTD (p36, 54pts)

Games remaining: Newcastle (h, Wednesday), Brighton (a, Sunday)

Erik ten Hag on the touchline during Manchester United's defeat to Arsenal (Image: PA)

Can Manchester United salvage their season in the next couple of weeks? It feels unlikely given the chaos that has been swirling around Old Trafford in the last few months, but as they have shown on a handful of occasions this term, Erik ten Hag’s side are capable of pulling a performance from seemingly nowhere every once in a while.

Their best chance of qualifying for Europe will probably come when they face Manchester City in the FA Cup final because, if they are to make it via their league position, their dreadful goal difference means they are almost certainly going to have to win both of their remaining matches.

They will head into Wednesday’s game with Newcastle having won just one of their last eight league games, and will be desperately hoping their talismanic midfielder and captain, Bruno Fernandes, is passed fit to play. They then end the campaign taking on Brighton at the Amex, where they have lost in each of the last two seasons without scoring a goal.