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Rafael Benitez "optimistic" ahead of second half of the season

:Headline: Rafael Benitez 'optimistic' ahead of second half of the season: ID:288303: from db_amp
Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez says that he is feeling "optimistic" ahead of the second half of the Championship campaign.

Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez has backed his side to enjoy a strong second half to the season as they look to earn a return to the Premier League.

The Magpies have slipped to second place in the Championship table over the Christmas period after their defeat to Sheffield Wednesday, but Benitez remains confident that his team can maintain their spot in the automatic promotion places.

The 56-year-old told The Chronicle: "I am really optimistic. We started the season losing two games and still I was confident. Even now, we are second and I am quite happy with the team.

"We are working trying to find something in January and have a lot of games to play with a good squad. The atmosphere is still fantastic in the training sessions so there are a lot of positives. Normally my teams finish the season well so I have confidence that we'll do well."

Newcastle are back in action when they host Nottingham Forest on Friday night.

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3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest10541147719
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5Arsenal105321711618
6Aston Villa105321715218
7Tottenham HotspurSpurs1051422111116
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton104421714316
9Fulham104331413115
10Bournemouth104331312115
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14West Ham UnitedWest Ham103251319-611
15Leicester CityLeicester102441418-410
16Everton102351017-79
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