Newcastle United’s remaining fixtures & maximum points total v Man United, Aston Villa & Liverpool

Eddie Howe has told the awaiting media it was ‘a waste of time getting your calculators out’ after he was asked about Newcastle United’s hopes of securing a Champions League place.

But there is no doubt, after scoring ten goals in two games against Tottenham Hotspur and Everton, the Magpies look to be on course to claim a place in European football’s elite club competition for the first time since the likes of Alan Shearer and Craig Bellamy were wearing the famous black and white stripes.

There was a further boost for Howe’s side on Thursday night as top four rivals Spurs and Manchester United shared the points with a 2-2 draw in North London, leaving the Magpies sat in third place in the Premier League table ahead of the weekend fixtures. Another pivotal few days lies in wait with United hosting bottom of the table Southampton on Sunday on the same day the four clubs below them in the table face off as Spurs head to Liverpool and Manchester United host Villa.

So we ignored Eddie Howe’s advice, we got our calculators out, and here is what lies ahead for Newcastle and their European rivals as we assess the difficulty of their respective run-ins and the maximum points totals they can achieve in their remaining games of the season.

Remaining fixtures for Newcastle, Manchester United, Spurs and more

3rd: Newcastle United (32 games played, 62 points)

Southampton (H), Arsenal (H), Leeds United (A), Brighton and Hove Albion (H), Leicester City (H), Chelsea (A) Average current league position of opposition: 12.3 Maximum possible points total: 80

4th: Manchester United (31 games played, 60 points)

Aston Villa (H), Brighton and Hove Albion (A), West Ham United (A), Wolverhampton Wanderers (H), AFC Bournemouth (A), Chelsea (H), Fulham (H) Average current league position of opposition: 11 Maximum possible points total: 81

5th: Tottenham Hotspur (33 games played, 54 points)

Liverpool (A), Crystal Palace (H), Aston Villa (A), Brentford (H), Leeds United (A) Average current league position of opposition: 10 Maximum possible points total: 69

6th: Aston Villa (33 games played, 54 points)

Manchester United (A), Wolverhampton Wanderers (A), Tottenham Hotspur (H), Liverpool (A), Brighton and Hove Albion (H) Average current league position of opposition: 7.4 Maximum possible points total: 69

7th: Liverpool (32 games played, 53 points)

Tottenham Hotspur (H), Fulham (H), Brentford (H), Leicester City (A), Aston Villa (H), Southampton (A) Average current league position of opposition: 11.3 Maximum possible points total: 71

8th: Brighton and Hove Albion (30 games played, 49 points)

Wolverhampton Wanderers (H), Manchester United (H), Everton (H), Arsenal (A), Newcastle United (A), Southampton (H), Manchester City (H), Aston Villa (A) Average current league position of opposition: 8.5 Maximum possible points total: 73