Eddie Howe has admitted his Newcastle United players will need to be “perfect” if the club are to mark their first Champions League game on Tyneside for 20 years with a victory against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday night.
“It’s a very, very difficult assignment for us defensively,” Howe said as his Newcastle side prepared to face Kylian Mbappé and co. “Part of our challenge is to get the balance right between not leaving too much space behind us and creating enough danger in their box. We have to be perfect in that respect. It’s going to be very difficult to contain Mbappé but I don’t believe in man-marking.”
Although Newcastle have kept five consecutive clean sheets, a knee injury deprives them of their key central defender Sven Botman, and hamstring trouble dictates that Joelinton and Callum Wilson are extremely doubtful.
Howe, meanwhile, refused to be drawn on Sandro Tonali’s potential involvement after the £55m Italy midfielder missed the first half of Newcastle’s final training session after apparently experiencing a delayed return from a short break in Milan.
Newcastle’s manager preferred to talk about the gargantuan strides the club has made since its majority takeover by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund in October 2021. Howe arrived a month later and was plunged straight into a relegation battle.
“Initially none of this [the Champions League] was in our thoughts,” he said. “At first it was all abut staying in the Premier League but our momentum has shifted so quickly and with such power. I can’t wait to experience the atmosphere our fans create tomorrow night. It will be a really great moment for the club. One of those magical nights in our stadium.”
Even the most partisan home supporter is keen to see Mbappé – whose fitness was confirmed by his manager, Luis Enrique – play live and none more so than Kieran Trippier’s six-year-old son, Jacob, who will be a mascot.
“My little boy wants to walk down the tunnel with Mbappé not me – he’s obsessed with him and watches him on YouTube all the time,” said the England right-back as he limbered up for a likely duel with the France forward. “Mbappé’s one of the best players in the world but we can’t fixate on him, Paris have quality all over the pitch. But we always look to try to find a way to win and tomorrow’s no different.
“The Champions League is where I want to be; I’m ready for the challenge. Everyone’s going to want Mbappé’s shirt at the end but I want three points.”
Although Trippier has played in Europe’s showpiece competition for three clubs – Newcastle, Atlético Madrid and Tottenham, reaching the final with Spurs – he never expected to return to it so quickly on Tyneside. “Everything’s gone right,” he said. “There’s huge pride in the big steps we’ve taken so quickly. It’s brilliant for the people of this city.”
Luis Enrique played for Barcelona when they lost a Champions League tie 3-2 at St James’s Park with Faustino Asprilla scoring a hat-trick and has warned his players to expect a “hostile” atmosphere. “It’s going to be a special game,” said the former Spain coach. “Newcastle are almost a complete team. I’m envious of my players.”
