Newcastle United take on Barca on what will be an emotional night at St James' Park
Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe
Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe(Image: Newcastle United via Getty Image)
Eddie Howe says he will have no hesitation using legendary Newcastle United and England boss Sir Bobby Robson as some inspiration for his players against Barcelona tonight.
The iconic Englishman - who guided the Three Lions to the semi-finals of Italia 90 - managed both Barca and Newcastle during his illustrious career in the dugout.
There were emotional scenes at St James' Park on the eve of the game, as Barca and Newcastle fans draped his statue with scarves of both teams with his son Mark saying yesterday: "It's a special game and I wish dad was alive to be here."
When asked if he will potentially use a quote or two from Sir Bobby, Howe said: "There are connections with Sir Bobby Robson that we fully embrace. Certainly, psychologically, when we go into that area, it might be something I use. For me, it’s been about the actual game and the tactical viewpoint and making sure we’re prepared."
Content Image
Content Image
Newcastle walloped Paris St-Germain 4-1 in their opening group game two years ago in the same competition.
The Magpies didn't win again but Howe hopes that standout performance can be a benchmark to take into Barca.
He said: "There are things we can certainly take from that game, but of course there are things we can take from that experience, the whole thing.
"Ultimately we didn't progress beyond the group stage – that was a big disappointment – so I think we can use those experiences to help us.
"I think with this individual game, all we can focus on is trying to get a positive result, trying to prepare the players for the game.
"I'm looking forward to seeing how we play against them and how we match up as a team, certainly.
"There's a lot of confidence now restored to the group having won on Saturday."
The game has already stirred memories of beating Barca in 1997 with Newcastle jetting Tino Asprilla in as guest of honour.
When asked if Newcastle could live up to that night 28 years ago, when the Magpies won 3-2, Howe said: “That is the challenge that we are looking to take on.
"Yes, we want magical nights and those moments everyone remembers, the iconic games are great but we also want consistent results, we want both, we want everything.
"I’m sure during this Champions League season we will have games where we don’t perform as well but we have to find a way of generating positive results that can hopefully carry us through."
Here at ChronicleLive, we are dedicated to bringing you the best Newcastle United coverage and analysis.
Make sure you don't miss out on the latest NUFC news by joining our free WhatsApp group. You can get all the breaking news and best analysis sent straight to your phone by clicking here to subscribe.
You can also subscribe to our free newsletter service. Click here to be sent all the day's biggest stories.
And, finally, if you would rather listen to our expert analysis then make sure to check out our Everything is Black and White podcast. Our shows are available on all podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and you can also watch along on YouTube.