After securing the point they needed against Leicester City on Monday night, Newcastle have now guaranteed themselves Champions League football next season.
The Magpies have enjoyed a superb campaign with manager Eddie Howe a strong contender to be crowned the ‘Manager of the Year’.
And looking ahead to next season, which will see the Geordies compete against Europe’s best, fans are understandably eager to learn who their beloved Magpies could face.
Despite their early qualification into the Champions League, following their 14-year-long exile from the prestigious competition, Newcastle United will go into next season’s group draw as one of the lowest-ranked teams.
Consequently, set to be included in pot number 4, the Magpies are almost certain to face a tough group.
Pot 1 is made up of domestic champions, which will obviously include the likes of Manchester City and Napoli. The remaining Pots are based on UEFA’s coefficient rankings.
The below image (thanks to GiveMeSport) is how the projected Pots look as of this week.
Consequently, with Newcastle facing the very real possibility of being drawn against some of the continent’s biggest teams, here are two ‘Group of Death’ scenarios that Howe could find himself contending with next season:
Scenario One:
Paris Saint-Germain, Bayern Munich, AC Milan, Newcastle
Scenario Two:
Barcelona, Bayern Munich, AC Milan, Newcastle