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Howe knows Newcastle must be 'perfect' against PSG / Photo: © AFP
Howe knows Newcastle must be 'perfect' against PSG
Eddie Howe challenged Newcastle to produce a "perfect" performance when they host Paris Saint-Germain in their first Champions League home game for 20 years on Wednesday.
Howe's side face the French champions in their second group match after drawing their opener at AC Milan.
Newcastle are back in the Champions League for the first time since 2003 and will be backed by a raucous capacity crowd of over 50,000.
But Howe knows the task of subduing PSG's star forward Kylian Mbappe will demand a flawless effort from his team.
"It's a very, very difficult assignment for us defensively," said Howe.
"Part of our challenge is to get the balance right between not leaving too much space behind us and creating enough danger in their box.
"We have to be perfect in that respect. It's going to be very difficult to contain Mbappe but I don't believe in man-marking."
Newcastle defender Kieran Trippier has an extra incentive to stay close to Mbappe.
Trippier revealed his son Jacob is a huge fan of Mbappe and wants to walk out with the France international instead of his dad during his role as a pre-match mascot.
"I was having a bit of banter with him last night and he said he wanted to walk out with Mbappe instead of me. I wasn't really happy with that," he said.
"He's obsessed with him, always watching his clips on YouTube. I said to him, 'If you get to walk out with Mbappe, you don't look at me in the tunnel'."
Sharing the Champions League stage with Mbappe and company is a measure of the progress Newcastle have made in the two years since the Saudi-backed consortium made their transformative takeover.
Howe's side go into the glamour clash in confident mood after a five-game unbeaten run in all competitions.
But even the Newcastle boss admits the speed of his club's progress is something of a surprise.
"Initially, nothing like this was in our thoughts, the speed at which it's happened. The only thing in our thoughts was staying in the Premier League initially," he said.
"But the swing of momentum has shifted so powerfully and quickly in a positive direction for us. My only thought is to keep that momentum for as long as we can."
K. Berger--BTZ
