It's still a very, very tough call.
As the table stands, we're 9th with 4 points down to 14th, 2 points up to 7th, but 10 points away from 6th.
http://www.premierleague.com/en-gb/matchday/league-table.html
Now, we're usually very good at ending up at the front of that fat midtable pack, but it will be a tough fight in the last 8 games of the season. Theoretically, Newcastle could still drop the ball, but with their play and form recently i think they'll be the ones taking 6th place. Chelsea are on an equal amount of points in 5th place, chasing Tottenham in third. Both of these two are in the running for the FA cup, and one of them will be in the final either way.
Seeing how things stand in the cup, they will have to give europe to 6th/7th if we don't take the matter in our own hands and make the final. If we do, we're pretty much guaranteed europe as 2nd place. That's the first scenario - us making the final.
In the even of us NOT making the final, which would suck greatly, but that's beside the point: Spurs or Chelsea will earn the potential right to qualify. Seeing how they'll both end up in 5th, it's all on 6th place. We will need the table to be turned around significantly for that to happen, though.
One potential scenario: Chelsea go and win the Champions league, and end in the top 5. We make 7th, or whatever.
Another: Newcastle **** it up and we pip them for 6th.
Another: Liverpool gatecrash the top 5, Tottenham win the cup, we make 7th.
In other words, lots of improbable things.
We need to play really, really well in the remaining league games. Luckily, our fixtures aren't that hard. We have United away i think, but otherwise, it's all teams that are below us in the table. (which is not good, considering how we usually perform against those!) The semi final against liverpool, however, is incredibly decisive: It's essentially a final in itself. Win it, and we go to yurp!
