Eddie Howe vows to take FA Cup seriously as Newcastle plot route to Europe
The Magpies face Manchester City tomorrow night
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe will make no apologies for targeting cup glory at the same time as trying to breathe new life into a difficult Premier League campaign.
The Magpies face Manchester City in the FA Cup fifth round on Saturday evening after seeing their dreams of defending the Carabao Cup they won last season, which ended a 70-year wait for domestic success, ended by Pep Guardiola's men at the semi-final stage.
Like City, they are still alive in the Champions League - they face Barcelona on Tyneside in the first leg of their last-16 clash on Tuesday evening - but are currently languishing in 12th place in the league table, 12 points adrift of the top four with just nine games to play.
Asked if the FA Cup is now their best chance of securing European football next season, head coach Howe said: "Yes, possibly.
"We just want to try to win. Yes, there are by-products behind winning and advancing in various competitions, but I don't think we can look at it that way. We want the glory of trying to win a trophy.
"The hard bit is navigating the rounds to get there, and there is none harder than this. We've been given the hardest tie we could have been.
"The players' mindset has been to try and win every game. I've been criticised previously for taking the cup seriously, this season especially because people have felt it's given us too many games. But that's the way we have to be when representing this club.
"We will have the same attitude again and will try to win the game and see where it takes us."
Saturday's game represents the fifth time the Magpies and City have gone head-to-head this season, with Newcastle winning 2-1 in the league at St James' Park but losing each of the subsequent three encounters, the League Cup double-header and last month's reverse fixture at the Etihad Stadium.
Guardiola has on more than one occasion engaged one of Howe's players in deep conversation after the final whistle in a game, although the 48-year-old insists he is relaxed about that.
He said: "That's something Pep does with lots of players, it's not personal to us. He's a football man and he has different relationships with different players.
"I really respect Pep, what he does, how he coaches. His teams have been fantastic for the Premier League and fantastic for football, really.
"I think he is a revolutionary and that speaking to opposition players is just part of his psychology. I don't know what those conversations are about. I don't spend any time investigating what they are about either."
Newcastle will be without the suspended Jacob Ramsey, who was sent off during Wednesday evening's dramatic league victory over Manchester United, but striker Nick Woltemade could return from illness while full-back Tino Livramento is close to full fitness after a hamstring injury which has sidelined him for almost two months.
Will Osula is hoping for another chance to prove himself the man for the big occasion as Newcastle attempt to keep their FA Cup dream alive by dumping Manchester City out of the competition.
Three days after coming off the bench to condemn Manchester United to the first defeat of interim boss Michael Carrick's reign with a last-gasp winner, the 22-year-old Dane is desperate for an opportunity to repeat the feat against Pep Guardiola's men in a fifth round tie at St James' Park on Saturday night.
Asked if he felt he deserved a chance following his midweek heroics, Osula, who will also have next week's Champions League clash with Barcelona in his sights, said: "I showed against United what I can do, so more game time and more performance. That's what I hope for.
"We have some big games coming up. Everyone wants to play in these type of games. As a kid, you dream of playing big games like this, Champions League, Premier League, so of course I want to be part of that and show what I can do on the pitch."
Even during a season when the Magpies have struggled to find the right blend in attack following Alexander Isak's £130million departure for Liverpool and the arrivals of Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa in his place, Osula has had to remain patient.
Signed from Sheffield United for £10m during the summer of 2024, 36 of his 43 appearances to date have come as a substitute, and his brilliantly taken goal against the Red Devils was just his sixth for the club.
However, he might not even have been on Tyneside this season had Bundesliga outfit Eintracht Frankfurt pushed through a £30m move for him last summer as they looked for a replacement for Hugo Ekitike.
Asked about his season to date, Osula said: "Well, thank God I'm healthy and alive here now. I've had injuries, I've had a lot of ups and downs with different things.
"But that's football, so thank God I'm here now, fully fit, no problems and I can keep going and keep running for the season.
"I've had opportunities now and I'm playing more, so I'm really happy with that. I want to keep playing and get more opportunities, so hopefully this can help me and push me on to play more and perform more."
Osula is confident he has more to offer Eddie Howe and his team-mates with the backing of his father and mentor Kingsley, something upon which he has been able to rely throughout his career.
He said: "My dad's my everything. I love my dad to the moon and back. He's the reason for everything I am today. I'm basically his legacy.
"He invested his whole life in me and I obviously want to pay him back and make him proud, and show him what I can do on the pitch."