Former Newcastle United boss Rafa Benitez believes qualifying for Europe next season would be a 'massive' achievement for the Magpies. Eddie Howe's side sit fifth in the table after suffering a third straight defeat in all competitions with a 2-0 loss at Manchester City on Saturday.
Newcastle's stunning start to the season and a 17-match unbeaten run which only ended last month has raised talk of an unexpected top-four push. The Magpies sat third at Christmas, but a mixed run of form in 2023 so far has allowed Tottenham to leapfrog them in the table.
Howe's side saw one potential route into European football next season closed off after a heartbreaking Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester United. However, Newcastle still have 14 matches left to play including games in hand on their closest rivals, and Benitez has spoken of the impact European football would have on Tyneside.
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He told BT Sport: "I think it’s massive for everyone there. When you talk about Newcastle United you talk about a city behind a team, so you can see the fans.
"If you go to Spain I would say Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, in Newcastle you can find everybody is a Newcastle fan, so it would be massive for the city. Everything and also it would be a massive boost of confidence for the owners and then growing even more if they can."
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