The Magpies still have work to do if they are to reach the Champions League final and Eddie Howe sees Magpies in a "good place" to do exactly that
Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe speaks to the media in Barcelona
Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe speaks to the media in Barcelona(Image: Newcastle United via Getty Images)
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Eddie Howe admits that Newcastle United must treat their Champions League tie at the Nou Camp as if it was the final showpiece itself tonight.
The head coach is still a few steps away from the May 30 final in Budapest but Newcastle - who arrived in Barca with 10,000 supporters with them - go in level against the La Liga leaders. Howe knows the magnitude of the fixture and said: "We try to treat every game as if it's a Champions League final. We'll do the work in the same way.
"We're in a different environment, one we've never been to before, and we'll enjoy the game when it comes but we'll only truly enjoy it if we deliver what we know we need to and I think we're in a good place to do that."
Newcastle caught Barcelona on an off day last week but still threw away their slender lead handed to them by Harvey Barnes. Late concentration issues resulted in Malick Thiaw conceding a penalty, which Lamine Yamal stepped up to slot home.
Howe suggested Newcastle can't afford to make more mistakes. Howe said: "The details of this game are going to be important. Dealing with their strengths and also trying to produce our best moments.
"I think when you consider the two games we've had against Barcelona, we've had some really good passages of play, some good opportunities to score, but we haven't beaten them so that's the challenge."
Newcastle go into the game on the back of a 1-0 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and Howe feels confidence could barely be higher.
Howe said: "The players are probably as confident as they have been at any stage this season. I think our recent performances have been really strong.
"The individuals in our team are performing at a really high level so hopefully we're peaking at the right time but we need everything to go our way tomorrow. We don't underestimate the size of the task but we believe in ourselves at the same time."
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