City a big challenge - but one the Toon can rise to

PRESSURE IS NOT ON UNITED

NEWCASTLE United have not beaten Manchester City in the league since 2005 at St James’ Park and understandably have been handed the tag of massive underdogs ahead of this evening’s festive clash on Tyneside.

Therefore, hopes of that sequence changing for the better are not exactly high within Newcastle’s fanbase.

Yet Rafa Benitez will demand his players continue to look at the bigger picture with less daunting games just around the corner.

With United’s stuttering form seeing them dragged into the bottom three before Christmas, and the home game with Pep Guardiola’s City looming large, many had pointed to the importance of taking something out of the game at West Ham on Saturday. Newcastle duly delivered with three points and a battling display against the Hammers. Even then, that excellent victory will not make the clash with City much easier with talk of Guardiola pushing for an unprecedented quadruple this season. As we reach the festive stage of the Premier League title race it looks like nobody is capable of stopping City’s expensivelyassembled team, let alone a newlypromoted Newcastle side which opted against major investment in the summer. Yet Benitez will hope his side can at least put up a fight and transfer some confidence into those less daunting games coming up – starting with Chris Hughton’s Brighton on Saturday.

Few fans will complain if Newcastle end the year on 21 points as it will mean they are beyond the halfway point of their initial target of 40 points.

In many ways, the pressure is off United – handed odds of 12/1 to get a win against Man City – at St James’ Park but the mood in the camp is good.

It is amazing what one victory can do a for side, as one of Newcastle’s most senior players summed up after the game in the capital on Saturday night. Looking ahead to the City game, defender Ciaran Clark said: “It was a massive win.

“We have not been on the best of runs so we so desperately wanted that win at West Ham.

“We know it will be tough against Manchester City – they are an unbelievable side as they have shown all season.

“We will go out there and give it our best shot.

“Who knows what can happen? Hopefully, we can be the team who stops their run.

“It is one of those games where we

In many ways the pressure is off United – handed odds of 12/1 to win – but the mood in the camp is good