Newcastle United enters Thursday's Europa League match against Metalist Kharkiv looking for a strong performance as the Ukrainian club travels to St James' Park for the first leg of the last 32 round.
Newcastle is preparing for a strong finish as they enter the match after a Premier League loss to Tottenham Hotspur on the road. The club has been dealing with injuries all season, leaving them very close to relegation, as they are currently in 16th place ahead of Aston Villa with just 27 points.
The club was runners-up in group D of the Europe League, coming in second with two wins and three draws for nine points, four behind Bordeaux for first place.
"When we finished last year and we finished fifth [in the Premier League] and I looked at the team, we haven't really had that team to put out at any stage of this competition. Even against Bordeaux, I wouldn't say that was my best team, although we played well that night in the home game," said Newcastle boss Alan Pardew.
Newcastle has benefited greatly from some new arrivals in Mathieu Debuchy and Yoan Gouffran, although they will not be eligible for the competition. Goalie Tim Krul feels that the spending was well worth it and it has helped the club win two of their last three outings.
"We have had a really hard time during the first half of the season, but with these new faces coming in, it gives us a massive boost and a lot of confidence," he said. "We have still got a lot of hard games to play, but we can go into those games with a lot of confidence."
Krul said he is looking forward to the match, although he does not know much about the Ukrainian club, but said he will be ready for the return leg after playing there for Netherlands at Euro 2012.
"Funnily enough, I know a lot about the stadium because we played all our three group game in the Euros there," he said. "We have had, of course, a team meeting and we know everything about the players now, but before, I didn't know much."
Newcastle may have an advantage over Metalist, as the Ukrainian club hasn't played a match since December, while they have played a few recently. Pardew said he has prepared his team well for the match, making sure they are ready to run with a team that has a number of South American players.
"It's not ideal for them, but on the other and, it can work well," he said. "They will obviously be very fresh and very motivated for this game, and that can hide a number of sins.
The match will be the first meeting for the two clubs in European play, although Metalist did play against Everton in the 2007 UEFA Cup, when they drew 1-1 at Everton before losing a dramatic return leg 3-2. The club won four of its six group matches, losing only once, to finish stop Group K over Bayer Leverkusen.
Newcastle has been excellent in European home games, going undefeated while playing to eight wins and three draws. Their last loss came against Deportivo La Coruna in the 2005 Intertoto Cup semi-finals. Metalist was previously on a six-match winning streak before their last defeat to Rapid Vienna.
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