Chris Sutton and Paul Merson disagree on Brentford vs Newcastle United score prediction

Pundits Chris Sutton and Paul Merson are at odds as they predict different outcomes for Newcastle United's final Premier League fixture of the season.

Newcastle side travel to Brentford on Sunday in the knowledge that they are currently involved in one of the tightest races for European football in recent seasons. The only worry is that they will not discover their fate until well after the campaign has ended.

It is fact that the Premier League will have seven teams competing in European competition next season. Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Aston Villa make up the delegation for the Champions League, and following that Tottenham Hotspur appear likely to take fifth and a spot in the Europa League.

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This leaves two positions - another for the Europa League and the last one for the Europa Conference League - however, next weekend's FA Cup final will have an influence given Manchester United's involvement. Should Erik ten Hag's team win, they will play in the Europa League next year and the sixth-placed team will enter the Conference League, but if they should lose then sixth place is guaranteed Europa League football, and seventh place earns a Conference League spot.

As far as Eddie Howe is concerned, he will require victory from his side to ensure the optimal chance of qualification for either competition, but will this be possible at a ground they have won both previous visits?

Foreseeing a 2-2 draw, Sutton told BBC Sport: "Brentford's form has picked up recently and they will want to end the season on a high note, at home on the final day.

"Newcastle United need to at least match Manchester United's result against Brighton to make sure of finishing seventh. I'm expecting Eddie Howe's side to do that, but it won't be easy."

On the other hand, ex-Arsenal man Merson sees a much brighter outcome for the visiting team - a 2-1 triumph.

"Newcastle need to win this; if Chelsea lose, they have a chance of making it into next season's Europa League due to their superior goal difference," he wrote for Sportskeeda. "They've had a decent season and they were bang unlucky in the Champions League. You could also argue they were a bit naive against Paris Saint-Germain, but it is all part of the learning curve."

Mauricio Pochettino's Chelsea are on 60 points heading into Sunday, whilst both Newcastle and Man United sit equal on 57 points. The Magpies hold a commanding goal difference of 21, followed by the Blues on 13 with Man United on a lowly minus three.

Chelsea host Bournemouth whilst Man United travel to Brighton at the same time Newcastle are in action, and therefore based on both Sutton's and Merson's predictions for those matches, Howe's men would finish the season in seventh place and stand a chance of Europa Conference League qualification.