Newcastle United will make a comeback to the UEFA Champions League next campaign for the first time since 2003.
Following their goalless draw with relegation-threatened Leicester City, the magpies confirmed their place in the UEFA Champions League for next season.
Eddie Howe’s side have spent almost an entirety of the season in the English Premier League top-four and they have been victorious in nine of their last 13 games in the top-flight.
That remarkable run ensured that the team based in Tyneside qualify for Europe’s elite cup competition with only a game remaining this campaign.
Meanwhile, Newcastle United might not end the season in third position depending on what 4th placed Manchester United play in their remaining games.
Erik Ten Hag’s side sit one point behind the Saint James’ Park club with two games still left for his team to play.
If they pick up maximum points against Chelsea on Thursday and then Fulham on the final day of the season they would leapfrog the Toon and end the season 3rd.
Newcastle United were placed 19th on the Premier League table when Eddie Howe was appointed as manager in 2021.
The Englishman has overseen a shift in fortunes and ambitions of the side alongside a display of rapid growth and development with the Geordies.
The 4-time Premier League winners have featured in over 125 matches in Europe and have in the past played in two Champions League seasons.
Newcastle United first played in the UEFA Champions League in the 1997/98 season, when they defeated Barcelona 3-2 via a Faustino Asprilla hat-trick.
The Colombian was pivotal to his team’s victory on the day as two late goals from Luis Enrique and Luis Figo reduced the deficit for Barcelona.
The Mapies also made an appearance in the 2002/03 Champions League season and they famously defeated Juventus 1-0 at their home turf courtsey of a goal scored by Andy Griffin.
They also picked up a 2-2 draw against Inter Milan at the San Siro, Alan Shearer fired in the opener for Newcastle in the 42nd minute before Christian Vieri equalized in the 47th minute.
Alan Shearer took his side back into the lead two minutes later before Ivan Cordoba brought the game back to parity.
The team backed by the Saudi-led consortium returned in the 2003/04 season but were defeated on penalties by Partizan Belgrade after a 1-1 aggregate scoreline in the third round of qualification.
That signified their drop to the UEFA Cup (UEFA Europa League) as they couldn’t progress further to the group stage of the UCL.
Newcastle United made it to the quarter-finals of the Europa League but were defeated 4-2 on aggregate by Benfica.
Additionally, the team powered by “oil money” should expect to receive more backing in the summer as they would look to better their feat in the present season.
The lure of the UEFA Champions League would also attract a lot of players to the club and that could see several notable names join Newcastle United.
Several clubs in and outside the Premier League have also been said to be interested in a number of key players in Eddie Howe’s side including Miguel Almiron and Alan Saint Maximin.
