SM
Thursday, March 28
Upcoming predictions and previews
BL
Premier League | Gameweek 31
Mar 16, 2019 at 3pm UK
 
NL

2-2

King (48' pen., 81')
FT(HT: 0-1)
Rondon (45'), Ritchie (94')

Benitez urges Newcastle to banish relegation fears with victory at Bournemouth

:Headline: Benitez urges Newcastle to banish relegation fears with victory at Bournemouth: ID:353512: from db_amp
A win would take the Magpies to within a point of their manager's target for the season.

Newcastle boss Rafael Benitez has told his players they can effectively end their Premier League relegation fears by claiming all three points at Bournemouth.

The Spaniard believes 38 points will be enough to stay up this season despite Cardiff and Southampton scrapping for their lives at the bottom end of the table, and a win at the Vitality Stadium would take the Magpies to within a single point of that target.

However, Benitez knows defeat, coupled with more good results for the chasing pack, could drag his team back into the mix.

Asked Newcastle were exceeding his expectations after a run of five successive home wins, Benitez said: "No.

"At the moment, they are doing well, fine, but I will tell you maybe after this game, not because it's the first one and the most important one, but because it's a game that can change a lot of things.

"If we can get three points in this game, I think we can keep pushing with more confidence and without maybe any fear that if you have a couple of bad results, everything will be more difficult.

"If we do that, I think we can do much better; if we don't do that, we have to keep fighting like we have done already."

Benitez's men showed admirable spirit last weekend to bounce back from a 2-0 half-time deficit to defeat Everton 3-2 at St James' Park, although wins for fellow relegation candidates Brighton, Cardiff and Southampton took some of the edge off a thrilling afternoon.

He believes confidence within the camp is as high as it has been during his three years on Tyneside, although he is acutely aware that could be dangerous.

The 58-year-old said: "It's quite dangerous because we have to be sure that we approach every game with the right concentration.

"We cannot start conceding two goals in the first 20 minutes. We have to be sure that we are in the game until the end and we have chances, and that we continue defending the same way we have been defending."

Benitez will be forced to make changes at Bournemouth, with skipper Jamaal Lascelles nursing a knee problem and fellow central defender Fabian Schar starting a two-match ban after reaching 10 bookings for the season.

In the circumstances, Republic of Ireland international Ciaran Clark's return from a knee problem could hardly be better timed, with Federico Fernandez also keen to get a chance to reprise his early-season form.

amp_article__353512 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2019-03-15 20:01:30:
html db last update - 2021-02-23 20:35:11 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html

Click here for more stories about Rafael Benitez

Click here for more stories about Newcastle United

Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal28204470244664
2Liverpool28197265263964
3Manchester CityMan City28196363283563
4Aston Villa29175760421856
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs28165759421753
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd28152113939047
7West Ham UnitedWest Ham2912894650-444
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2811985044642
9Wolverhampton WanderersWolves28125114244-241
10Newcastle UnitedNewcastle281241259481140
11Chelsea27116104745239
12Fulham29115134344-138
13Bournemouth2898114152-1135
14Crystal Palace2878133348-1529
15Brentford2975174154-1326
16Everton2887132939-1025
17Luton TownLuton2957174260-1822
18Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest2967163551-1621
19Burnley2945202963-3417
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd2835202474-5014
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .