Eddie Howe feels that Newcastle United are approaching a defining moment in their Premier League season.
After beating Leicester City 3-0, Newcastle edged up to fifth place but now face a tough test of three games in six days. That kicks off with a home clash against Manchester United before a midweek St James' Park encounter with Crystal Palace and then rounding off the Easter period with an encounter at Aston Villa.
If Newcastle win all three they will be very much in the box seat for a Champions League place. But as things stand, the situation is in their own hands.
Howe told Chronicle Live: "The players are experienced. We haven’t got a youthful group, we’ve got a lot of players that have been through various situations in their careers. I think with such few games to go, and with such big competition, with a lot of clubs fighting for Champions League places, I don’t think we’ll be taking anything for granted.
"But next week, with three games in six days, is going to be a big test for us. We’re going to have to raise our performance to win those games. We need a reset again. It’s potentially three tougher games, so I think we’re going to refocus again and potentially have an upturn in performance again if we want to win those games."
Newcastle could easily have ventured forward for more goals against the Foxes but opted to seal off a 3-0 win that put them above Manchester City by one point with a game in hand.
Howe said: "It was always going to be a difficult game, but I thought we stuck to our task and were professional. It was good to get a clean sheet and three goals.
"The big question mark (after the Carabao Cup final) was how would we react to that big high that we had? To be fair to the players, they’ve responded magnificently to that. Two tough Premier League games, two massive wins, and a big tick in the box for our psychology and how we approach the games."
Newcastle are in the middle of a Champions League push and fans can watch the big games with Sky Sports' discounted TV bundle.
The Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle is now £35 and includes more than 1,000 live matches each season across the Premier League, EFL and more.
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