Eddie Howe warns Newcastle to be prepared to win ugly to secure Champions League place

Eddie Howe has warned Newcastle they will have to be prepared to win ugly if they are to secure Champions League football for the second time in three seasons.

The Magpies head into the weekend sitting in fifth place in the Premier League table with a game in hand on their nearest rivals after the latest round of fixtures, but with just five points separating fourth-placed Chelsea from Brighton in eighth.

They demonstrated true grit in Wednesday night's 2-1 home victory over Brentford - which was sealed by Sandro Tonali's remarkable winner - to get over the line, and head coach Howe knows that may be required repeatedly if they are to get to where they want to be at the end of the campaign.

Speaking as he prepared for Monday night's trip to lowly Leicester, Howe said: "Finding a way to win in really tight games is key.

"That Brentford was one where you're looking 1-1 with a period of the game left and you're thinking about how do we find a way to win? We weren't necessarily the dominant team in that moment.

"We were early in the game, but we'd lost that a little bit. When you go back to games like Fulham, which we ended up losing, that can really hurt you.

"So yes, I'd like to think that we're getting more experience and more confidence as the games go by. I think we understand that the tight games are the ones that really matter."

Newcastle will arrive at the King Power Stadium on a three-game winning streak, the first of them their Carabao Cup final success against Liverpool, to face a side which has lost its last eight in all competitions and 14 of the last 15 in the league.

Ruud van Nistelrooy's men are 12 points adrift of safety with just 24 left to play for, but Howe is taking nothing for granted.

He said: "They're not out of it, and I think they'll believe they still have a chance.

"I always look at how a team plays and I think Leicester have been very competitive. The results don't necessarily show that, but I look back to the Manchester United game, where I thought they were in the game and they had chances to score, and then the result is really deceiving.

"We know they're dangerous. We know they've got good players - Jamie Vardy is still a massive threat. He brings his unique qualities that we're going to need to control.

"Ruud's got his team playing good football as well, so we're going to have to be on our guard. There are no easy games at this level."

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