Rafa Benitez has backed Newcastle to get enough points to beat a rampant Liverpool in the race for Champions League football.
Newcastle, Manchester United and Liverpool are battling it out for the final two spots in the Premier League's top four. Eddie Howe's side are currently in third, level on points with Erik ten Hag's team in fourth. Jurgen Klopp's men are one point further back in fifth.
Newcastle and Man Utd both have a game in hand on Liverpool, but the latter side have won seven consecutive Premier League games to jump into contention. Yet Benitez, who managed both Newcastle and Liverpool, thinks the Reds will miss out.
Benitez explained his prediction to Sky Sports. He said: "Everybody knows that to be in the Champions League, to be in Europe, means a lot of money coming in. Then you can sign better players because they have the extra motivation to play in Europe.
"So, it's massive for both [Liverpool and Newcastle]. I think that [right] now Newcastle United have the advantage, but you never know. Liverpool they are doing really well now, but I think Newcastle United have the belief, they have the intensity, the organisation and the balance that is necessary to get some points and to stay there [in the top four]."
Liverpool, who were last season's runners-up in the Premier League, have endured a tough season under Klopp but are back to their best. They are tipped to win their final two games at home to European hopefuls Aston Villa and away to relegated Southampton.
Do you think Newcastle will finish in the top four? Let us know in the comments below!
Howe and Ten Hag will be expecting Liverpool to win both of those fixtures, which means they will need two wins from their final three games to guarantee a top-four spot.
Newcastle will host high-flying Brighton and struggling Leicester before finishing the season away to mid-table Chelsea. As for Man Utd, they face already safe Bournemouth and Chelsea at Old Trafford before travelling to mid-table Fulham on the final day.
Newcastle were not expected to qualify for the Champions League this season but have benefited from Liverpool's struggles. They have also cashed in on Chelsea's and Tottenham's woes, with both London clubs set to miss out on a top-six finish.
If the Magpies do book their place in Europe's premier club competition, it will be a massive step in the right direction. Newcastle are the world's richest football club because they are financially backed by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund.
Due to Financial Fair Play (FFP), Newcastle are unable to simply spend their way to success. Yet qualifying for the Champions League will significantly boost their revenue streams, and therefore their budget. It will also help attract new players.
Benitez recognises the importance of this. He added: "Can they [Newcastle] stay there for a while? We will see. Obviously this year, two or three teams were not at the level everybody was expecting. But now they are there, and they have the finances to stay there, I think that they can compete in the future and the fans will be delighted."
