Eddie Howe says he has presented today’s tough clash against Manchester City as an opportunity for his Newcastle United players to showcase themselves against one of the best teams in the world. United lost 5-0 to City back in April while the 4-0 home defeat last December is still fresh in the mind for some fans.
But Howe does not fear the champions and sent a motivational message to his players. He said: “I always say to them, 'judge yourself against the best'.
“It's a challenge to be attacked and relished rather than feared. I think our defenders are in a good place at the moment - I think as a team we've defended well. There's always room for improvement but I think this is the ultimate test, not just as a back four but the team in front.”
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Pep Guardiola has already spoken about the importance of the holding midfielders his team will face with Erling Haaland set to face Newcastle in only his third game for the Citizens.
Howe said: “We have to protect our defenders, but we also have to give Manchester City a threat the other way and a problem the other way. We can't be too passive in what we deliver. It's a good game, at a really early stage of the season, to see how far we've come as a team."
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