Newcastle are left to contend with a spot in the Champions League play-off round following a hard-fought 1-1 draw against European champions Paris Saint-Germain on their turf. Joe Willock’s header ensured the Magpies equalised Vitinha’s early goal at the Parc des Princes, but despite numerous opportunities, both teams failed to secure a place in the top eight.

Nick Pope thwarted an Ousmane Dembele penalty in the first half, while Harvey Barnes squandered two golden opportunities in a second half that saw Willock have a goal ruled out. This result sees Newcastle end the campaign in 12th place, paving the way for us to chart their journey through the Champions League knockout stages.

Teams who finished in 11th or 12th place will face off against one of the teams who ended up in 21st and 22nd place. This means Newcastle can only be paired with French side Monaco (21st) or Azerbaijani team Qarabag (22nd) in the play-off round.

Beyond this, if Newcastle triumph in that match, they can only meet the teams who finished fifth or sixth in the league phase in the last 16. Therefore, should Newcastle progress to the last 16, they will go up against either Barcelona (fifth) or Chelsea (sixth).

All eyes will be on Friday’s play-off round draw in Nyon, Switzerland, as Newcastle await their opponents, but they can start to map out their path through the competition to some extent.

The Champions League play-off round is scheduled for February, with the first leg taking place on either February 17 or 18 and the second leg on February 25 or 26.

Newcastle will play away in the first leg before hosting the return fixture at St James’ Park in the second leg.

“We had to deal with not just the opponents, who are outstanding, but the decisions that went against us as well,” Howe told TNT Sports after the match.

“They’re (PSG) an outstanding team – they don’t need help from anybody.”