Newcastle United can qualify for Champions League football within a fortnight if results go their way.

It is no secret that the Magpies are moving heaven and earth to book a place at UEFA’s top table. Winning the Carabao Cup took precedence for a while - with Alexander Isak and Dan Burn producing the goods to end 70 years without domestic silverware.

Since then, a laser-focused Newcastle have won five from six to give themselves the advantage in the Champions League race. Eddie Howe returned to the touchline yesterday following his bout with pneumonia and was treated to a 3-0 win over Ipswich Town.

With Aston Villa and Manchester City on FA Cup duty, the table is shaping up nicely for the Magpies. But just when can Newcastle secure their European fate?

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Brighton - a sticky wicket for the Magpies in recent years - await next weekend. Meanwhile, Chelsea face Liverpool and Aston Villa host Fulham. Nottingham Forest play against Brentford on Thursday and Crystal Palace four days later.

If Newcastle beat Brighton next weekend and Chelsea the following week, they could clinch Champions League qualification. That will depend on Chelsea dropping points to Liverpool and Aston Villa losing to either Fulham or away to Bournemouth in their next two games.

May 11 - two weeks today - is the earliest Newcastle can qualify for the Champions League. Doing so will reignite the pandemonium around Tyneside and ramp up summer preparations.

As it stands, the Magpies are in limbo during the early transfer plans. Targets are dependent on whether Newcastle are competing in football’s most prestigious club competition.

Many believe winning a trophy and earning Champions League football would deliver United’s best season since winning the league in 1927. Newcastle currently sit third, on 62 points with four games remaining.

‘Champions League going to the wire’ - Eddie Howe

Howe expects the race to go down to the final game of the campaign. Much of the Premier League focus is on the European spots as the title and bottom three have been decided.

“When you’re running out of games as we are, you want to get back into the positions that you want to be in,” he said after the Ipswich game. “We know how tight it is, we know the quality of clubs we’re competing against, but all we can do is try to win our games and it was a big step forward today.

“It will go down to the wire. The important thing today was that we bounced back from last week. We have been very consistent and now we have four huge games.”

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