Four days later, the Magpies faced the Toffees at St James’ Park, having booked their place in the last 16 of the Champions League with a 3-2 victory over Qarabag.
It also ended a run of four consecutive away games, but after losing their first two home games before the win over Azerbaijan, manager Howe will hope United can regain some momentum and form, which has made them difficult to face on Tyneside in recent years.
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He also provided an update on Jacob Ramsey’s health, as well as the ongoing recovery of Tino Liveramento and Lewis Miley.
Here are some of his key talking points from Friday morning’s pregame media briefing:
Looking for form at St James’ Park…
“It’s great to be back home. We have to re-establish our rhythm at St James’ Park.
“Tuesday was the result we absolutely needed and we want to get back to our best form at home.”
On Liveramento, Ramsey and Miley’s fitness…
“I think Tino will be in early March. He’s doing well, he’s been training and running for a while. I think he’ll be in a good position when he comes back.”
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“We hope Jacob will be able to train today, so fingers crossed for tomorrow.
“We have to be careful with Lewis, he’s had a couple of jabs and we’re looking at him for a few weeks and if we don’t manage this injury right he could be out for the whole season.”
Speaking of the atmosphere in the campground…
“I saw a great reaction from everyone… the feeling between the players was really good. The feeling was really high.
“The most important thing for us now is to look forward.”
On David Moyes’ Everton…
“It’s an important game for us. Everton are doing well away from home and they’re doing well away from home.
“David’s teams always have a hard time scoring. Our offense has to be very good and our defensive mentality has to improve.”
