Pardew’s FA Cup warning to United ahead of Brighton tie
REFRESHED ... Alan Pardew and his United players have been in Tenerife.
ALAN Pardew’s warned his Newcastle United squad to under-estimate FA Cup opponents Brighton and Hove Albion at their peril.
Newcastle’s squad were due back on Tyneside tonight from a training camp in Tenerife.
And Pardew’s confident the mid-season break will have “refreshed” them ahead of Saturday evening’s third-round tie at a sold-out Amex Stadium.
Tenerife ‘breather’ will set Toon up for rest of the season – Pardew
“It’s a difficult game,” Pardew told BBC Radio Newcastle.
“Fans mustn’t under-estimate them – at home, they’re a force.
“But we’re refreshed, and I expect to see a reaction to the second half at Fulham (a 5-2 defeat).
“Brighton will pass the ball, keep it, make us work, and if we feel we can play 90 per cent there and win, we’ll be badly mistaken.
“It’s a professional team at home, one level below, and I’ve been in that position as the other manager.
“If someone said to me (you could) take a draw, I’d take it now – that’s how difficult it is. Hopefully, we can win and be in the next round.”
On the training camp, Pardew added: “This isn’t a training camp around working really, really hard. It’s about rest and being in each other’s company, and getting ready for the second half of the season.
“We’ve got a fantastic second half (of the season) in front of us, and we’ve got to make sure every game we’re competitive and we try and take maximum points.”
Hatem Ben Arfa didn’t travel with his team-mates to Tenerife, and was instead allowed a few days back home in his native France.
Brighton manager Gus Poyet’s two semi-final goals for Chelsea denied Newcastle a third successive FA Cup final appearance in 2000.
And Poyet, plotting another cup exit for United, is hopeful Kazenga LuaLua will recover from a hamstring injury in time to face his old club.
Meanwhile, Brighton yesterday revealed that Newcastle have not accepted their full seat allocation for the tie – despite selling out their initial batch.
Twitter: @milesstarforth
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Thursday 24 May 2012
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