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Steve Bruce hopes the carrot of victory over Manchester United can help Newcastle bounce back from their horror show at Leicester.
The Magpies head coach will send his side into battle with his former employers at St James’ Park on Sunday after their 5-0 hammering at the King Power Stadium last weekend.
Bruce was part of the United side who chased down Newcastle to win the Premier League in 1995-96, and although neither club is currently in that sort of form, it remains a big fixture for him.
He said: “Yes, they might not be the Manchester United of the past, but they’ve still got some very good players and we’re going to have to be better than we were last week.
“It’s a wonderful time to play them because it’s a full house live on TV. If you have to bounce back against anybody, what better way than against them?”
Show all 20 1 /20Premier League signings: Ranked and rated Premier League signings: Ranked and rated 20. Joao Cancelo - 4/10 He has only played 36 minutes in a City shirt despite being one of the best full backs in Europe. His time will come, but at the moment he is experiencing the same frustration Danilo endured behind Kyle Walker.
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Premier League signings: Ranked and rated 19. Moise Kean - 4/10 Last season he emerged as one of the best young forwards in Europe at Juventus. He has failed to live up to the hype so far at Everton, but it’s still early in his Premier League career.
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Premier League signings: Ranked and rated 18. David Luiz - 4/10 His move surprised many when he joined Arsenal from London rivals Chelsea. He has been at fault for numerous goals since his arrival, including a nightmare performance at Anfield. Improvement needed.
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Premier League signings: Ranked and rated 17. Giovani Lo Celso - 5/10 The Argentinian's hotly anticipated arrival in London has been blighted by a hip injury that's restricted him to 44 minutes in the Premier League.
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Premier League signings: Ranked and rated 16. Joelinton - 5.5/10 When Rondon left St James Park last season, fans were worried they’d struggle to replace him. Joelinton has only managed one goal in his last seven game, however, there have been promising flashes from the Brazilian.
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Premier League signings: Ranked and rated 15. Raul Jimenez - 6/10 After last season’s 13 goals and 10 assists, Jimenez will no doubt prove a valuable acquisition for Wolves. Just two goals so far this season means he has been underwhelming.
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Premier League signings: Ranked and rated 14. Adam Webster - 6/10 Duffy had been a stalwart in Brighton’ side. Youngster Webster has managed to breakthrough in his place. Barring a poor lapse in concentration against Chelsea he has been solid.
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Premier League signings: Ranked and rated 13. Nicolas Pepe - 6/10 The £72m winger is still adjusting to English football and has yet to recapture his goalscoring form at Lille. However, the signs of his quality are obvious for all to see.
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Premier League signings: Ranked and rated 12. Sebastian Haller - 6.5/10 Haller started off slowly. But a brace at Watford set him on his way and he’s now on three goals and one assist. If he can replicate his form from his time in Frankfurt, West Ham will be dangerous.
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Premier League signings: Ranked and rated 11. Tyrone Mings - 6.5/10 Earned an England call-up through his performances, after making his loan spell permanent, but hasn't been able to totally sure up Villa's leaky defence.
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Premier League signings: Ranked and rated 10. Harry Maguire - 7/10 Has immediately improved United's defence since his impressive debut and adds leadership to a currently wildly inconsistent side.
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Premier League signings: Ranked and rated 9. Moussa Djenepo - 7/10 Due to injury, Djenepo has only managed three appearances for Southampton. He has scored two goals though, and has brought pace and finishing ability reminiscent of Sadio Mane’s time on the south coast.
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Premier League signings: Ranked and rated 8. Aaron Wan-Bissaka - 7/10 With the most tackles in the league, Wan- Bissaka has been solid. The only criticism for the young full back? Going forward he could improve.
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Premier League signings: Ranked and rated 7. Gary Cahill - 7.5/10 Has added some invaluable know-how to Palace’s defence. A win at Old Trafford on debut and two clean sheets since then. Good start for the Champions League winner.
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Premier League signings: Ranked and rated 6. Harry Wilson - 7.5/10 On loan from Liverpool, the young Welshman has produced moments of quality, including a long range strike (albeit deflected) at Villa Park and a delightful free kick against the Champions.
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Premier League signings: Ranked and rated 5. Dani Ceballos - 7.5/10 The Spaniard has been superb for the most part. He has been instrumental in Arsenal’s midfield. If you want to be cynical, it would be nice to see more in the goals and assist columns.
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Premier League signings: Ranked and rated 4. Rodrigo - 7.5/10 Has integrated relatively seamlessly into Guardiola's starting eleven and already feels as though he has been part of City's set up for a long time.
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Premier League signings: Ranked and rated 3. Tanguy Ndombele - 7.5/10 Arguably one of the most well rounded midfielders in Europe. It’s early days at Spurs but Ndombele has added goals and security in midfield.
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Premier League signings: Ranked and rated 2. Daniel James - 8/10 What a bargain £15 million was. Three goals this season and one of few causes for optimism in an abject Man Utd side. Potentially signing of the season if he keeps it up. Plus, he has all the time in the world to develop at 21 years of age.
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Premier League signings: Ranked and rated 1. Youri Tielemans - 8.5/10 Superb start from Tielemans since joining the Foxes on a permanent basis. He is level with De Bruyne for completed through balls and has been a huge help to Maddison.
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Newcastle have won only one game all season, although the fact that that victory came at Tottenham is a source of comfort for a coach who has seen his side drastically underperform in their last two outings.
Sunday’s visitors have their own problems, with manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer having presided over a poor start to the season, but Bruce knows that will count for little if his players allow their standards to drop once again.
He said: “I don’t think I’ve ever beaten them, which is a worry, of course. I had the privilege to play there for a long time. It was a long time ago, but they’re one of the great clubs of Europe.
“It’ll be a big occasion and we have to make sure we’re ready for it. We’ve played badly in a couple of games, but we’re capable. We’re going to have to play well on the day.
“At Spurs, the resilience was there for everybody to see. For some reason, we lost that last week.”
Bruce will expect a big response from his squad, which could be boosted by the return from injury of Jetro Willems, Jonjo Shelvey and Dwight Gayle.
He said: “For the last couple of years, they (Newcastle) have been in and around the bottom half of the league, so they’re used to trying to respond.
“That’s what the Premier League is all about. You accept you can be beaten, but you’ve got to react.”
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