Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe has vowed that his side will give everything to keep their hopes of qualifying for the last 16 alive when they travel to Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday.
With successive defeats to Borussia Dortmund leaving Newcastle bottom of Group F, the Magpies know that another loss in France will bring a premature end to their UEFA Champions League campaign with one match to play.
Group F standings
| Team | Pts | Goal difference |
|---|---|---|
| Dortmund | 7 | +1 |
| PSG | 6 | +1 |
| AC Milan | 5 | -2 |
| Newcastle | 4 | 0 |
“Our structure in the team and defensive resilience has been good bar the Bournemouth game. We’re going to need to be every ounce as good as we can,” Howe told the club's official website.
“It’s good to have all those mixture of emotions going into a match. We need to play on the edge. That is when we are at our best. They have quality in every position, we will need to be as good as we can be.
“We will need every ounce of motivation and energy to get a result. This is a defining moment in our Champions League campaign. We’re well aware of where we sit in the group and what can happen tomorrow so we are going to give it everything.”
Howe: PSG trip 'a defining moment in our Champions League campaign'
Another chance for Miley to impress
Newcastle are in the midst of an injury crisis, with Callum Wilson, Harvey Barnes, Dan Burn, Jacob Murphy, Elliot Anderson, Sven Botman and Joe Willock all currently sidelined. Howe also added that Sean Longstaff hasn't travelled with the squad to Paris.
That means 17-year-old Lewis Miley could start again for Newcastle after impressing in the 4-1 win over Chelsea last Saturday, when he became the sixth youngest player to produce a Premier League assist.
And Howe says he believes the teenager will cope well in the pressurised environment at the Parc des Princes.
“There is every chance he will be involved again. I think he is ready. He has a great temperament for these occasions,” Howe added.
“The thing I loved about him after the game on Saturday, he was just the same Lewi. It was as if he hadn’t done anything and it was just another game for him. That is how he would need to approach this game.”
In the final round of group matches on 13 December, Newcastle host AC Milan while PSG travel to Borussia Dortmund.