Santon: 'You Won't Like Us When We're Angry'

By Dan King - Newcastle United Club Reporter

Davide Santon is braced for the full wrath of a wounded Manchester City after their derby defeat to Manchester United - but has warned the champions that Newcastle are hurting too.

For the second away game in a row, the Magpies played well but came away empty-handed as they slipped to a 2-1 defeat to Fulham at Craven Cottage on Monday night.

The previous day, City had lost to their fierce rivals in a game which had more than just local pride at stake as both sides battle it out for the Barclays Premier League title, just as they did last term.

So Santon is expecting two "angry" sides at St. James' Park on Saturday as both prepare to fight for a return to winning ways in front of an anticipated sell-out crowd and millions watching on Sky Sports.

"I think the team has to do the best performance against Manchester City, because Manchester City this week lost against Manchester United," the Italian defender told nufcTV.

"They will be really angry because they lost. They'll come to Newcastle for a win - but we are angry as well.

"They're a really big team and we'll have to play at our best to win the game."

But the ex-Inter Milan man believes Hatem Ben Arfa could prove crucial after scoring on his return from injury on Monday.

The Frenchman - who suffered a double leg-break against City two seasons ago - had missed United's previous four games with a hamstring injury but dispatched a sensational strike past Mark Schwarzer early in the second half.

And Santon said: "Hatem is really important for us. (On Monday) he wasn't really 100 per cent because he came back just after injury but he scored a fantastic goal.

"And I hope he scores again on Saturday!"

Tickets for Saturday's game are now on general sale here. Click here to watch the full nufcTV interview with Davide Santon