Eddie Howe believes Newcastle United are returning to their "best form" as the Magpies target a sixth consecutive Premier League win ahead of Saturday's trip to Aston Villa (kick-off 12.30pm BST).
The Magpies travel to Villa Park aiming to secure a third Premier League away win in a row after triumphs at West Ham and Brentford respectively as well as maintaining third place in the division.
Newcastle face a tough encounter against Unai Emery's side, who have won six of their last seven matches as well as registering five clean sheets in the process.
Here are some of the main talking points from the boss’ pre-match media briefing at the Magpies’ Benton-based training ground on Friday morning:
On Allan Saint-Maximin, who missed out on United’s comeback victory against Brentford - the Magpies’ fifth successive Premier League win:
“I don’t think it’s a serious injury but he’s away getting treatment at the moment. He’s not with us but hopefully, at some stage, he’ll come back and be available very soon.
“I’m a firm believer in you don’t have to be in Newcastle to get the best treatment possible. It’s always about how can the player come back as quickly as possible in the best physical condition. If that means going away to see someone you’ve worked with before and you really like, I’ve got no issues with it.
“We do send a staff member with him so he’s not alone. We have contact and that member is thinking of Newcastle United so I think that's an important mix. The work he’s doing is good and it’s all about trying to get him back as quickly as possible."
On the injury update of Miguel Almirón, with the Paraguayan forward missing Newcastle’s last four league fixtures:
"He’s done really well. He’s ahead of schedule so fingers crossed he gets through training and could be available very soon. There’s a possibility (of being involved for the trip to Villa). We’ll need to see how he trains today. He’s had limited training time but he’s looked really good.
“The smile is still as big with Miggy. He’s got that personality - he’s always in a positive frame of mind. That’s one of the things we love about him. He’s really committed to his rehab.
"He’s gone away a couple of times to get injections and spent a little bit of time in Barcelona getting treatment. He’s came back, really kicked on, and is a very professional lad hence why he’s back earlier than we thought he may be.”
On the winning run following three defeats in a row across all competitions:
“There’s a growing belief that we’re getting back to our best form after a difficult period around January. We were a little bit frustrated with ourselves in the Premier League.
“The Wolves win was a big moment for us. It got us back to winning ways and we’ve backed that up. We had three really tough games in six days last week that were a big test for us mentally and physically. We came through it and now we go into what I see as the last set of games this season.
“It’s a big test to come, nothing is decided and we’ve got it all to prove.”
On the impact of his substitutes, with the likes of Callum Wilson, Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon all making positive contributions from the bench in recent weeks:
“It’s a squad game. We’re going to need everybody to contribute whether you’re starting or not. You can have an effect and change the game and hopefully get a positive result for us in either phase.
“I can only pick eleven players but I’ve got a very strong squad when everybody is fit. I think the understanding of the group has been really good. I’ve had no internal issues. Of course, the players who aren’t playing are disappointed but I think that’s the same at any level but I’ve got to try and make the right decisions for the team.”
On Fabian Schär and Sven Botman’s impressive centre-back partnership in the United defence, with the Magpies recording 12 clean sheets in the English top-flight so far this season:
“I do think they compliment each other really well. We wouldn’t have had that defensive record if they didn’t (play) the amount of games together but they have a good understanding.
“They’re both very good with the ball, first and foremost, which helps us in terms of building our attacks and being a good attacking unit. Defensively, they’ve really excelled. Aerially, they’ve been very good and been mobile which you have to be with how we play.
“They’ve covered the backline really well in conjunction with the full-backs, who have also been outstanding for us. It’s been a really big team effort from them."
On Anthony Gordon after the 22-year-old winger showed frustration in being substituted in the latter stages of the 2-1 victory at Brentford despite a bright second-half display from the bench against the Bees:
“We’ve had a conversation. His enthusiasm, aggression and motivation levels are really high. He’s fiercely determined to do well and achieve and it is one of his strengths and we want to embrace that. We love that about him but I think, in certain moments, he needs a cool head.
“It’s about trying to explain the situation and talk through it. I’ve got no issues with him - he’s trained really well this week.
“That’s what you want. You want good people off the pitch, good role models and professionals that are living their life right to try and be successful. On the pitch, you want people to absolutely want to win and do everything in their powers to try and achieve that, being passionate about what they’re doing.”