Newcastle go to Fulham on the final day with the selection questions doing more of the talking than the table. Kieran Trippier is expected to start what would be his last game for the club before leaving in the summer, while Sandro Tonali is a late call after limping out of the win over West Ham last weekend. Newcastle are also without Joelinton, Fabian Schär, Valentino Livramento and Lewis Miley.

Why the final day has turned into a team-news game

The cleanest angle here is Trippier. He has made 20 Premier League appearances for Newcastle this season, so if he does start, it feels like a final, limited but still meaningful league outing rather than a dramatic farewell parade. His league rating of 6.71 suggests a steady season, while the 6.98 he has posted in the Champions League points to a player who has still lifted his level on bigger nights.

Tonali is the other major call, and the brief does not give Eddie Howe the luxury of certainty. A late decision on him matters because Newcastle are already short of options, especially with Joelinton and the three other absentees ruled out. That leaves the manager with a thin final-day squad for a trip to a ground where the weather may have a say as well.

It's a beautiful day in the capital. The sun is shining and it is baking hot at Craven Cottage. It will be interesting to see how that affects the game on Sunday afternoon.

What Newcastle can still play for

There is still one league outcome left, even if it is a modest one. Newcastle sit 11th on 49 points after 37 league games, level with Fulham, and can finish ninth at best after Chelsea's midweek win shut the door on eighth. That makes the fixture a straight fight to end above a side on the same points, not a route back into Europe.

It's not much to shout about, but Newcastle can still finish ninth this season.

That is the reality of the final day. The headline is not a chase up the table, it is whether Newcastle can send Trippier off with a start, get a late answer on Tonali and field enough senior players to handle a hot afternoon at Craven Cottage.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →