When Newcastle United will learn their Champions League play-off opponents
Newcastle United face a bit more chaos in their fixture schedule after the 1-1 draw with Paris Saint-Germain tonight.
A win for either side would have seen them progress to the knock-out stage of the competition without the need for a playoff, but the draw, thanks to results elsewhere, means both sides will be in the hat for the play-off draw.
The scene changed many times as the match went on. At one point, a draw had both teams still in the competition, then Newcastle would have missed out by virtue of goals scored. In the end, it was no good for either side.
Every other English side progressed into the knockout phase after finishing in the top eight, thanks to wins tonight. Just what are Tottenham doing finishing fourth in the Champions League when they could be in a relegation fight? Madness.
Newcastle will learn their next Champions League opponents on Friday
The play-off draw will take place at 12pm on Friday, and you can watch it live on TNT Sports 1.
Newcastle finished 12th in the table, which means they will be seeded in Friday's draw for finishing in the top 16, so that means they will have a home tie in the second leg of the play-off.
Each seeded pair is drawn against an unseeded pair - for example, those ninth and 10th will face off against the teams who finished 23rd and 24th. Those that land in 11th and 12th will be drawn against the teams who finished 21st and 22nd, and so on.
Newcastle will face either Monaco or Qarabag
That means that Newcastle will play either Monaco or Qarabag of Azerbaijan at their place first on either 17th or 18th February, with the second leg at St James' Park the following week.
Qarabag have been a surprise package in the competition this season, but were put to the sword tonight by Liverpool, who won 6-0 at Anfield.
Obviously, we'll be keeping our fingers crossed for the draw to give us Qarabag, but Monaco would make for a nice away day. The winner will then face either Chelsea or Barcelona. Lovely!
