FA Cup: Steve Bruce wants Newcastle to replicate Premier League performances against Manchester City
"We managed to be somewhere close to it earlier in the season, let's hope we can reproduce that and see if we can pull off a shock," Bruce says ahead of quarter-final tie
Saturday 27 June 2020 10:24, UK
Steve Bruce has challenged Newcastle to replicate their Premier League performances against Manchester City as they target a shock victory against the FA Cup holders.
Newcastle secured a 2-2 league draw with Pep Guardiola's side in November, while 10 months earlier they won 2-1 in the north-east under Bruce's predecessor Rafael Benitez, albeit both matches were in front of raucous full houses.
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Ahead of the delayed quarter-final tie at St James' Park on Sunday, Bruce has called on his side, 13th in the league, to rise to the challenge against the "real deal" of City.
"The mindset has got to be the same," the Newcastle head coach Bruce said. "Whenever you play Manchester City, you know that you're going to have to be at your best.
"They've got some of the best players in the world performing and that's what makes them pretty formidable, especially the way they play.
"Whether it's the FA Cup, whatever competition it's in, Manchester City these days are the real deal, so we're going to have to be at our best.
"We managed to be somewhere close to it earlier in the season, let's hope we can reproduce that and see if we can pull off a shock."
Newcastle returned to action after football's lockdown with an impressive 3-0 over European hopefuls Sheffield United, but had to settle with a 1-1 draw against relegation-threatened Aston Villa after conceding a late equaliser on Wednesday.
"We've put a decent little run together out of lockdown to come and get four points out of six," Bruce, whose side are unbeaten in five games in all competitions, said.
"We might even have made it six out of six, but a rare defensive lapse unfortunately and we conceded a poor goal.
"But overall, I've been very, very pleased with the way we are."
