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Pardew Plans Positive Week
Written by Newcastle Utd
Alan Pardew hopes to get a "really big week" off to the best possible start with victory over Arsenal on Saturday
By Steven Back
Alan Pardew hopes to get a "really big week" off to the best possible start with victory over Arsenal on Saturday night (5.30pm kick-off).
Newcastle United travel to the Emirates Stadium to take on the Gunners in Barclays Premier League action, and it is a venue where the Magpies have had little success in recent years.
However, after seeing off previously-unbeaten Chelsea last weekend, Pardew hopes to leave North London with something to show for United's endeavours, before they go on to face Tottenham in the Capital One Cup quarter-finals and Sunderland at home in top flight action.
"I think it is very important that it isn't a case of after the Lord Mayor's show following Chelsea and that every game now we set up as a bigger game," said the boss.
"This is a huge game on Saturday night. Then we have Tottenham in the quarter-finals and Sunderland, so it is a really big week and hopefully we can perform in each of them.
"Arsenal away will be a difficult one. They gave us a thumping last season, and the year before when we were really in the game and in a great position, they scored three or four at the end and gave us an embarrassing scoreline.
"So it's not been a happy place for us but the games (between the sides) at St. James' Park have been tight and we hope this one is a lot tighter on Saturday.
"I think they're playing a slightly more conservative game and we're not conceding many goals, so I think it will be a bit tighter this time.
"But all games need goals. It's part of the entertainment business so hopefully there will be some goals, but more for us than them.
Newcastle will be without centre-back Steven Taylor and French international midfielder Moussa Sissoko for the trip to Arsenal, with the pair serving one-game suspensions.