Football: Pardew hoping Chelsea lose Champions League
Alan Pardew makes no apology for supporting Bayern Munich in the Champions League final after insisting a Chelsea victory would be a 'kick in the teeth' for his Newcastle side. The Londoners will take England's fourth Champions League spot for next season if they beat the Germans on their home soil on May 19 - even if they finish outside the Premier League's top four. That could see Newcastle end up fourth, but have to settle for the Europa League, something manager Pardew admits would be hard to take. Newcastle could still finish third to avoid the potentially heart-breaking scenario, and he said: "If that happened with us finishing fourth but missing out on the Champions League, it would be a kick in the teeth for us. "We don't want Chelsea to win the Champions League because we want that spot. It would be very harsh if we finished fourth and then missed out." In-form Newcastle currently occupy fourth place as they go in search of a seventh straight win at relegation-threatened Wigan Athletic. Victory could take them seven points clear of Chelsea in sixth, and six ahead of fifth-placed Tottenham, who are both in action 24 hours later. Pardew, who reports no fresh injury concerns to his squad, added: "There are four cup finals left between now and the end of the season. We can still finish anywhere from third to sixth." Alan Shearer fears Chelsea coming out on top in the Allianz Arena next month to see his old team miss out on a Champions League return. The former Newcastle forward played a prominent role in the club's regular Champions League appearances a decade ago, and the Premier League's all-time record goalscorer said: "It's amazing what Newcastle have done this season. "I hope I'm wrong but it would be just Newcastle's luck to finish fourth and then for Chelsea to go and win the Champions League. "I obviously want Newcastle to finish fourth, but I'd also like Chelsea to win the Champions League after the season they've had - but not if it's at Newcastle's expense of qualifying for the Champions League. It's a tough scenario." Wigan are one point above the relegation zone with three games remaining, but their situation is a lot healthier than just a few weeks ago. Unexpected wins over Manchester United and Arsenal lifted Roberto Martinez's side out of the bottom three, although last week's 2-1 defeat at Fulham underlined to Wigan's Spanish manager there remains plenty of work to do in order to avoid the drop into the Championship. "I'm not looking at the table at all. We're fighting to get points we didn't get earlier in the season. It would be a big mistake to think we're safe just because we're out of the relegation places," Martinez said. "Wolves have been relegated and we're one of five clubs looking to avoid finishing in the remaining two relegation places." Martinez is full of praise for Newcastle's form which has left them dreaming of the Champions League. "Newcastle are an outstanding side and it's been an incredible season for them," he added. "Whoever wins the title should get team of the year, but Newcastle shouldn't be too far behind for what they've done." Colombian forward Hugo Rodallega could make his first start since March 11 after recovering from a knee injury. However, fellow striker Franco Di Santo is struggling with a calf problem.
