Pardew certain of Newcastle's Premier League survival

Mar 12, 2013 12:13:00 AM

The Toon boss has insisted that his side's 2-1 win at home to Stoke City has preserved their top-flight status and allows them to concentrate on the Europa League

Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew has insisted that his side's 2-1 win against Stoke City has confirmed their Premier League survival.

After an impressive league campaign last season, the Toon have been in poor form this time round, but Sunday's victory against the Potters moves them nine points clear of the relegation zone.

Pardew believes the cushion is enough to guarantee safety, and is now focusing his efforts on Thursday evening, when his side host Anzhi Makhachkala in the second leg of their Europa League last-16 clash, with the tie in Moscow finishing goalless.

"That's [Premier League survival] done; we don't need to worry about that now," he told BBC Newcastle.

"What we've done is set ourselves up for what I'm hoping is going to be a special night for us.

"We've set the scene for that and I can't wait already. I hope we get as many people as we can afford to come fill the place up."

With both league and European prorities to balance, the 51-year-old has been forced to rotate his squad this season, but after the victory over Stoke, Pardew will now deploy his best side against his Russians.

"We've approached it in an intelligent way," he continued.

"In a way that we have dealt with the team as it comes, put a team out that is good enough, and we've had to do that. We've had so many injuries that we had to put out the team that we had.

"There are too many games, but now we're at the nitty gritty - the real serious business, playing against real quality.

"I'll play my best team - that win [against Stoke] has helped me do that."

Sign up with William Hill for a free bet up to £25
Sign up with bet365 for a free bet up to £200
Sign up to Paddy Power for £250 in free bets
Sign up today with Coral and get a £50 FREE bet - no strings attached!
Sign up today with BetVictor and get a £25 FREE BET!

play

open

Inside Goal.Com

The Dossier: Stop Martinez, stop Bayern
With the Mario Gotze missing through injury, Marco Reus will be charged with the task of stopping Javi Martinez from dictating proceedings in the middle of the park
Top 10 all-time Champions League scorers
As the competition moves within days of its much-anticipated conclusion at Wembley, Goal profiles the most prolific players in its history
'Mario, you will never redeem yourself'
Mario Gotze's injury means the playmaker has now played his final game for Borussia Dortmund. In an open letter, a fan tells of his emotion at his controversial switch to Bayern
BVB's rise from the abyss to European contenders
BVB have recovered from teetering on the edge of bankruptcy to take their place on Europe's grandest stage, humbling their opponents on Saturday, Bayern Munich, along the way
Top 10 Champions League Final Moments
As Europe braces itself for an all German classic at Wembley on Saturday, Goal.com takes a look back at some of the iconic moments in the history of Uefa's showpiece event since its rebranding in 1992.