Source: PA
Pardew fears City backlash
Newcastle boss Alan Pardew has warned his players to beware a Manchester City backlash as they attempt to continue his winning start.
The Magpies head into the Boxing Day clash with Roberto Mancini's expensively-assembled all-star side on the back of a creditable 3-1 Barclays Premier League victory over Liverpool in the new manager's first game at the helm.
His hopes of building upon that last Saturday were dashed by the weather when their fixture at Birmingham was called off, and although their efforts to prepare for Sunday's game have been disrupted by frozen training pitches on Tyneside, they will run out against City confident they can emerge with some reward.
However, Pardew believes City's shock 2-1 home defeat by Everton on Monday evening, which denied them the chance to go top, has simply increased the degree of difficulty.
He said: "That hasn't really done us any favours because they will be hurting in that dressing room and in that group, and they will bring that to Newcastle to try to put it right after what happened on Monday night.
"It's perhaps a tougher game for us with that mentality, so we need to make sure we are just as strong. We are catching them on the back of a defeat, which makes them like a wounded animal."
