Leicester City boss Dean Smith knows the harsh reality of the Foxes' trip to St. James' Park - win or they could be relegated. Newcastle United on the other hand could secure their place in the Champions League next season to end a 20 year hiatus from Europe's elite competition.
The Leicester boss says he has a lot of respect for Eddie Howe after locking horns with the then Bournemouth boss back in League One, when Smith was in charge of Walsall. The two English coaches have worked their way up through the football pyramid in recent years but it's Howe who is riding the crest of an almighty wave.
Smith took charge of struggling Leicester at the beginning of April on a deal that runs until the end of the season - tasked with keeping the former Premier League champions in the division. Nonetheless, Leicester look doomed unless they can spring a surprise this weekend and take their survival battle into the final day of the season.
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Smith told Leicestershire Live: “We need to be hard to beat and use the ball well when we have it. I have a lot of respect for Eddie, I took him on in League One. We can only focus on ourselves. It’s our cup final.”
The Foxes have one of the worst defensive records in the division and have shipped five goals against Newcastle in their previous two meetings this season, without reply.
“We know we have to," Smith added. "That’s been the biggest concern [going a goal down at St. James' Park]. I don’t think we’ve taken the lead.
"We’ve conceded the first goal in 19 out of 20. We’ve conceded too many and have had a defensive fragility.
"It’s something we’ve tried to work on. We’ve put on different training sessions to what we did last week. But that was to concentrate on ourselves.
"We have to get the basics right. They’re down because of the position we’re in. I choose what I say about the players because I can.
"They care. They show that in training and in matches.”
Despite their poor Premier League standing, Smith remains hopeful of a result. He said: "If we get the performance we’re capable of, then we can do it."
