Eddie Howe nearly 'swerved off the road' after discovering Newcastle's FA Cup quarter-final opponents were Man City

The day after Newcastle's penalty shootout win over Championship side Blackburn Rovers on Tuesday, the FA Cup quarter-final draw was announced, with the Magpies facing City at the Etihad on March 16. Howe revealed he was driving at the time and got quite a shock at the draw.

The Newcastle manager told reporters on Friday: "I was driving at the time and nearly swerved off the road! It’s not the draw we wanted that's for sure. No one wants to play Man City four times in a season, but I believe we can beat anybody when we're playing at our best."

He added: "When you have time to analyse things you realise to win the FA Cup you have to beat Man City at some stage in the competition. It's sooner than we'd have liked but we have to give everything to try and win. It will be difficult but we can do it. That feeling that everyone is against us [to win] I want us to use it positively. We’re still in it and we will fight to be in it until the end."

City are in the running to win a second consecutive treble, as they are in the last eight of the FA Cup, Champions League, and are second in the Premier League. Newcastle, meanwhile, who finished fourth last season, are struggling with injuries and form this term. They sit 10th in the table, 15 points off of fourth-placed Aston Villa, and are not in the best state to take on Pep Guardiola's men on their own patch. This is the Toon's last realistic chance to win a trophy, too.

Before their upcoming FA Cup clash, Howe's Newcastle side take on in-form Wolves at St James' Park on Saturday in a battle between 10th and ninth respectively. City, on the other hand, host rivals Manchester United a day later at the Etihad.