Eddie Howe addressed the media this morning as his side look to bounce back from last weeks defeat when they take on Sam Allardyce's Leeds.
Their 2-0 loss at home to Arsenal was their first defeat at St. James' Park in four games, with Liverpool being the only other team to take home all three points this season.
With Jurgen Klopp's men breathing down their necks in their hunt for a top four finish, Howe recognised the importance and difficulty of this match.
He said: "We’re looking forward to it. We know it’s going to be a great occasion and a great atmosphere. We need to be ready for what’s going to come.
"It's going to be a really important start to the game. I think the first 15/20 minutes will have a huge impact on what's going to happen afterwards.
"Hopefully our players are robust enough to deal with it. We need to be composed enough to play our game and not get caught up in their emotion. I think we need a different mentality going into this match than we would a home game, but it's still football and we need to do the right things to win it."
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On top four chances
With the new ownership and significant investment into the club, it was clear that Newcastle would be competing towards the top end of the table sooner rather than later.
However, pushing for a Champions League spot just a year after finishing in the bottom half was not predicted back in August.
With the Magpies currently in third with four games to go, Howe admitted that it would be very disappointing from here if they weren't playing in Europe next season.
"I'd have to probably say yes [it would be disappointing]. But I don't want to focus on the negative. We are where we are and we want to consolidate that.
"The lads have been incredible in every game bar one or two this season. They've given me absolutely everything. Now we have four games to try to consolidate all of that effort to achieve something remarkable. That's what we're looking to do, just keep our nerve, keep doing what we're doing and hopefully, it will be enough.
"The last bit is always the most difficult thing to do and that's why I need to levitate the pressure from the players. I think the best way for them to switch off from it is to just enjoy what they are doing."
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On Sam Allardyce
Leeds rolled the dice one last time and decided to replace Javi Gracia with the 'survival specialist' Sam Allardyce.
His first game in charge saw his side lose 2-1 away to the league leaders Manchester City, a scoreline that certainly could have been a lot worse.
With only three games remaining to keep Leeds in the league, Howe had high admiration for Allardyce as he takes charge of his first game at Elland Road.
"We have historical evidence of how Sam plays and his teams down the years have always been very difficult to play against. They've always had a clear way of playing.
"He's made Bolton and other clubs that he's been at a place to fear going. Nobody wanted to go play there. They had their own way of doing things and not a lot of teams could not cope with that.
"You admire anyone that can produce that type of team and he did it very cleverly. It wasn't luck, he strategically planned it and the players executed it really well. Fair play to him and his career, he's got a great CV!"
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Team News
Howe confirmed this morning that Sean Longstaff and Matt Ritchie will both be missing for this clash.
They join Emil Krafth and Jamaal Lascelles on the sideline, with their manager hinting that they will miss the remainder of the season.
"Sean [Longstaff] went to see a specialist and I think there was a few concerns that there’s some structural damage in his foot but there wasn’t which is good news.
“There is a bit of damage to one of the ligaments. He’s being re-scanned today which we hope will show an improvement but it’s unclear when he’ll be back.
“Matt Ritchie has picked up a knee injury. I don’t think it’s too bad but I think it will keep him out for the rest of the season.”
