Howe's Magpies out to emulate Sir Bobby's six in a row

United welcome Patrick Vieira's side (7:45pm kick-off) three days on from their FA Cup semi-final defeat to Chelsea at Wembley and the Magpies' own stunning late win at home to Leicester City.

That victory, sealed by Bruno Guimarães' 95th-minute diving header, was Newcastle's fifth win in a row on Tyneside. They haven't recorded six on the bounce on their own patch since the 2003/04 campaign, which brought a fifth-placed finish.

And head coach Howe is keen for his side to emulate Robson's men's record by securing another victory against the Eagles.

"To do that would be an incredible thing for us, and to do anything related to the name Sir Bobby Robson and to try and achieve one of his milestones would be brilliant for us," he said.

"I think playing at home, as we've always said, is such a unique thing here. It's such a privilege to play in the stadium, and the atmosphere the supporters have created has been fantastic. I think if you look back at the last game, we needed their support – we didn't have a lot of the ball in the second half, it was a bit of a grind for us defensively, we had to be really responsible and accept that that was happening in the game.

"The supporters got the reward with the goal at the end and it was a big thank you from us to them, really, for sticking with us."

Guimarães' brace sealed that memorable win against the Foxes in a game in which the Magpies had to battle to keep the Europa League semi-finalists at bay before snatching all three points in that thrilling finale.

But Howe wants to see a "little bit more control" from his charges when they face Vieira's men on Wednesday night.

"I think we want to see the same intensity that we played with, the same desire to win, (which was) highlighted by our winning goal," he explained.

"We want that defensive resilience that we showed throughout the game but I think we want a little bit more control, and I'd love to see us express ourselves with the ball more. At certain moments of the game I think we didn't do that well enough in our last game, but that's something we’re working towards. That's what I'd love to see – obviously with the same outcome."

Newcastle have no fresh injury concerns ahead of the contest, with Kieran Trippier, Callum Wilson and Ryan Fraser the only likely absentees.

Howe confirmed that Scotland international Fraser is set to undergo another scan on his hamstring problem this week.

"With Ryan, the plan is to have another scan on his hamstring this week – I'm not sure on the day – just to see where it is," he said.

"I think we had an initial scan and two conflicting opinions, so I think we are rescanning it this week."

The Magpies could surpass the 40-point mark by the end of the weekend, depending on the outcome of their games against Palace and Norwich City on Saturday.

For Howe, the prospect of reaching that milestone and the likely safety it would provide can give his team all the motivation they need ahead of a pivotal few days.

"We know the importance of this week, with two massive games to come for us. We're very keen to hit the 40 point mark as quickly as possible," he said.

"We know that nothing is given and nothing guaranteed in this league – with the unpredictability of the results, it's that kind of league.

"We'd love to finish off this run of three home games with a win, and just the way the stadium looked and felt on Sunday was incredible, with the flags before the game and the general atmosphere. It was a privilege to play in."