Eddie Howe spoke about his excitement at playing in Europe again at St. James’ Park.
Newcastle United need to restore a good feeling after their 2-1 defeat away at **Brighton**on the weekend, falling to 14th position in the Premier League table. They have advanced in the Carabao Cup, but for now, European competition is their best reprieve from the frustrations of the league.
The Toon fought admirably against **Barcelona**in front of their fans, losing 2-1 after a second-half Marcus Rashford brace. They bounced back with an emphatic 4-0 rout of Union Saint-Gilloise in their second game of the league phase and need to build momentum to boost hopes of progression.
Tino Livramento, Lewis Hall, and **Yoane Wissa**are confirmed absentees against **Benfica,**while the health of Sandro Tonali is in doubt. But the manager is not going to make excuses about the result.
“We love these games. I mean, the Barcelona game here was so close for us. it could have been a very different outcome and it feels we've been in that position a lot this season where the results could have gone either way. We've been very competitive. We were competitive that night.
“The atmosphere will be electric. I've got no doubt. I hope that our performance mirrors that crowd energy that we're going to get and I think if we're at our very best, we have a good chance.
“Fitness wise we're pretty good. I think we've got a couple of well more than a couple. We've got three key players out injured at the moment which will make a big difference but you're going to get that throughout the season.
“So that's par for the course really but it's making sure that you're robust enough to withstand any players that aren't with you and you can still win games and as I say I think we've been really strong in our performances but we need the results to go with it.”