Either Newcastle United or Chelsea could go a long way toward securing UEFA Champions League football with a win at St. James’ Park on Sunday.
The host Magpies are in fourth place, ahead of the visitors on tiebreakers as both teams have 63 points and a plus-21 goal differential.
WATCH — Newcastle v Chelsea
Eddie Howe’s Newcastle are coming off a loss at Brighton that dropped them a spot on the table, their wiggle room shirnking to two points above sixth-place Nottingham Forest and seventh-place Aston Villa.
Chelsea just won their Conference League semifinal second leg on Thursday but were heavily-rotated with an eye toward this crucial ‘six-pointer’ in the race for one of five Champions League places via the Premier League table.