Eddie Howe is hoping for a ‘special’ St James’ Park night as Newcastle face Manchester United in the Premier League this weekend.
Newcastle take on Manchester United with both teams looking to bounce back from midweek Champions League setbacks. A controversial late penalty denied Newcastle a win at Paris Saint-Germain, while Manchester United squandered a two-goal lead to draw at Galatasaray.
Newcastle head into the clash with a strong record at St James’ Park this season, having won six of their seven Premier League fixtures on home soil.
Howe is hoping an evening game with Manchester United can lead to another special atmosphere at the ground.
“I think the fact we are at home [is a big thing]. This is the first time we have been at home after a Champions League away tie,” Howe told his pre-match press conference.
“We love playing at home anyway, but that will be a big thing with no travelling. And it is an evening kick-off, which are always more special at St James’ [Park].”
Howe was asked how his side have dealt with the disappointment of their draw at PSG, with Kylian Mbappe’s 98th minute spot-kick leaving Newcastle’s Champions League hopes in the balance.
The stoppage time penalty was awarded after a controversial handball decision, but Howe said his side must move on from their frustration and focus on this weekend’s game.
“When the dust settles and you analyse everything, my biggest frustration was I wanted the players to have that feeling of winning the game, which may have been one of the highlights [of the Champions League campaign]. It may have been one of the highlights of their careers.
“There was a lot of disappointment afterwards, we were minutes away from a historical result in our season. Hopefully there is more to come, but you can’t change what happens. We have to move forward and look forward to the next game.
“The character is important, results positive or negative, can’t linger with us. We use it as motivation for the future.”
