You don't need to be Carol Vorderman to work out seven into four doesn't go.
Newcastle catapulted themselves into the top four this weekend with a 2-1 victory over Tottenham and stand their best chance since 2002-03 season of ending the campaign there.
Helped by the Saudi takeover of the club last year, Eddie Howe has masterminded the Magpies to behind just Arsenal, Manchester City and Tottenham in the Premier League - with their only defeat coming against Liverpool in August. But the problem with Newcastle bursting onto the top table is that other big clubs will inevitably lose their spot there.
Based on current positions (and considering the Carabao Cup and FA Cup winners are generally one of the top four), Chelsea and Manchester United would be heading to the Europa League, while Liverpool would miss out on European qualification altogether - with Fulham above them in sixth.
So, firstly, can Newcastle maintain their assault on the traditional top six? And who misses out in their place? We asked our Mirror Football team what they think.
Simon Bird
No, realistically that’s too quick a leap from escaping relegation last season…a top six finish would be a triumph, and attainable. But it's good to have a dream, and as club execs have pointed out, remember Leicester!? The establishment better get used to the Toon being a force again, because it isn’t a fluke.
Eddie Howe is three or four signings away from having a squad to properly challenge the elite. What a brilliant season they are having. They are mean in defence, full of team spirit, panic opponents with their relentless up-the-pitch press, and look like contenders… even with injuries to record signing Alexander Isak, Allan Saint Maximin and Jonjo Shelvey.
What do you think Newcastle's chances of qualifying to Europe? Who do you think would miss out at their expense? Join the BIG DEBATE here
They have serious football people running the show at all levels and are exploiting Howe’s love of detail, and his managerial emotional intelligence. United CAN exploit a season of disruption, with Liverpool off the pace and Man U restructuring, but targeting the Carabao Cup could be their route to glory.
Money will talk eventually, and Newcastle have a wage bill and turnover third of their rivals at the top so Man United and Chelsea join Man City and Arsenal in the top four.
Neil McLeman
Not this season but Newcastle are trending in the right direction and will buy their way into the Champions League sooner rather than later.
This season Manchester City and Arsenal will take the top two places while Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester United all have bigger and better squads. For now. A couple of key injuries could devastate Eddie Howe’s team.
The X factor will be if the Saudi owners will be tempted to splash more petro-dollars in January if they are still in the top four and feel they have a chance of getting into the Champions League ahead of schedule in the World Cup season. They have spent well so far. But Champions League football so soon after avoiding relegation might be going too quickly and Europa League might be a better, less pressurised stepping stone next season.
Right now I would say Chelsea and Spurs to claim the final two Champions League spots.
Mike Walters
What is there on the shelves at Tesco, in a car showroom or in an estate agents’ window that you can’t buy with £300 billion?
Not much - and a top-four finish in the Premier League should be well within that budget. Newcastle’s new-found largesse was always going to make them the likeliest gatecrashers in the race for Champions League football.
And their new-found stability at the back under Eddie Howe’s management gives them every chance of finishing in the top six, if not the top four. Howe is doing a fabulous job on Tyneside, but don’t fall for the myth that his audition for the role was an economic miracle at Bournemouth.
When the Cherries burst through the skylight into the Premier League in 2015, they drove a coach and horses through financial fair play and were fined £7.6 million - reduced on appeal - for living beyond their means. Now that Howe has colossal spending power at his disposal, there is no reason why he can’t take Newcastle into Europe.
Some of his buys in the last year have been excellent - Botman, Bruno and Pope spring to mind - but you don’t find many Geordies giving credit to the bloke who went out on a limb to sign Callum Wilson for £20 million, or loose change in the new regime’s parlance. Didn’t have a clue what he was doing, that fella Steve Bruce… did he?
David McDonnell
Eddie Howe has done a remarkable job since taking over at Newcastle, who are fully deserving of fourth spot at the moment, given their form and results this season.
Victory at Tottenham continued a fine run that has seen them hold champions Manchester City, as well as Manchester United, while suffering only one defeat this term, a 1-0 loss at Liverpool. But can Newcastle defy all the odds and secure a Champions League place? The answer, this season at least, has to be no, but they are on track to be perennial top-four contenders.
There is little depth to Howe's squad, unlike the other clubs who have traditionally competed for a top-four place, like Arsenal, City, Liverpool, United, Chelsea and Tottenham. That said, the Toon have coped without the enforced loss of record signing Alexander Isak, Allan Saint Maximin and Jonjo Shelvey, all of whom are currently sidelined.
Despite their ebullience and enterprise, allied to a formidable team spirit, to secure a top-four spot this season is likely to be beyond Newcastle, although top-six should be an attainable goal.
The brutal reality for Howe and Newcastle is they are a couple of injuries away from struggling with the teams around, whose bigger squads enable them to absorb such losses with less impact.
That said, the Europa League is certainly a target for Newcastle, whose new-found Saudi-funded wealth, however controversial, means they are going to compete with the big boys for the foreseeable future.
Ben Husband
As impressive as they have been, it will be a tall order for Newcastle to still find themselves in the top four by the time May rolls around. Manchester City are nailed on, while Arsenal are as close to certainties as possible.
Chelsea have also shown signs of their own progression under Graham Potter, while Man Utd are improving with Erik ten Hag in the dugout. And that's not including Liverpool, who will surely fire into better form sooner rather than later.
The Magpies are unquestionably ahead of schedule under the astute leadership of Eddie Howe and if they can stick around until the spring it will be a job firmly well done. A place in European competition will be huge for Newcastle and a major carrot to dangle in front of potential signings next summer.
Tom Victor
While Newcastle don't look out of place in the top four at this stage, you only have to look back at their 2011-12 season to recall how tough it can be to stay there.
On that occasion, they started strongly, got some of the reinforcements they needed in January to avoid their momentum being sapped, and it still wasn't enough, so an ability to go better this year may depend on the form of others and not of Eddie Howe's team themselves.
The difference, of course, comes with the World Cup. They have fewer players involved than some other top four contenders, and may be afforded a chance to refresh while rivals risk burnout, but I think they'll end up just short while still delivering an impressive finish considering how things looked a year ago.
Felix Keith
Newcastle reaching the top four has been met with some surprise, but perhaps it shouldn’t have.
The Magpies have the best defensive record in the Premier League and their progress has been steady, rather than born of a sudden spurt. Eddie Howe has his side organised and together and, right now, there is no doubt they’re one of the best sides in the division.
There are a few factors which suggest they can keep it up and gatecrash the top four. The first is obvious: the financial backing of the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund, which will allow them to strengthen in the January transfer window, should they choose.
The second is less so, but perhaps more important: the fixture schedule is on their side. While rivals like Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham have European football to contend with, Newcastle can focus solely on the league. Fresh legs might not be as glamorous as sovereign wealth funds, but they just might be more crucial to their chances.
Kieran King
Over the last couple of years, the likes of Leicester and West Ham have challenged the traditional top-six and become real threats to the so-called bigger clubs.
But with the Foxes and the Hammers currently fighting towards the wrong end of the table, Newcastle have found themselves in the race for those Champions League slots. And I think they have a real chance.
Their back-line is arguably the third-best in the Premier League behind Man City and Arsenal, while Newcastle's midfield and attack are also finding their feet despite the absentees of Allan Saint-Maximim and Alexander Isak.
I do think, however, they might just miss out and fall at the final hurdle, like Leicester in the 19/20 and 20/21 campaigns due to the sheer sizes, experience and qualities of some of the other squads.
Man City will inevitably run away with the league, while I am backing Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham to finish in the top-four, with Newcastle in fifth, Liverpool in sixth and Chelsea in seventh.
