31 August 2023 , 18:06
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Newcastle officials couldn't believe their luck when they were handed a brutal Champions League group at Thursday's draw.
The Magpies will face European giants Paris Saint-Germain, Borussia Dortmund and AC Milan in the first round of this year's tournament, which starts next month. Reaching the knockout stages now seems like a daunting task for Eddie Howe's overachievers.
Newcastle knew they were facing a tough Champions League draw after being placed in pot four, which is reserved for the eight weakest teams in terms of UEFA's coefficient rankings. Yet they would've been hoping to avoid some of Europe's big hitters.
Luck wasn't on Newcastle's side, however, as they were placed in Group F. As the news was confirmed, the crowd gasped and the camera panned to three Newcastle employees - media chief Lee Marshall, CEO Darren Eales and sporting director Dan Ashworth.
All three of them looked gutted and couldn't force a smile, knowing the challenge that awaits Howe's side. Eales tried to play down the disappointment by making a cheeky dig at Newcastle's bitter rivals Sunderland.
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He said: "You think of AC Milan. In 2003, we had almost 10,000 Geordies over there in the wonderful city of Milan. I don't think I've even seen a Mackem (Sunderland fan) in Milan either! It's going to be exciting for the Geordies."
Speaking to TNT Sports ahead of the draw, Howe urged his players to be ready for the challenge of facing Europe's best teams. "Behind the scenes there's been a lot of preparation and making sure that we're [as] organised as we can be for the Champions League and everything that that brings," he said.
"I think for me, I haven't really gone there yet mentally, we've got so many Premier League games before the competition starts. We need to make sure we're ready for it because it will be a change and an added dynamic for the season.
"I'm sure it will test us and stretch us in lots of different ways. But I think ultimately we have to look at it as a huge positive, and we're really looking forward to it."
Newcastle's travelling party were stunned (TNT Sports)Do you think Newcastle can escape their Champions League group? Let us know in the comments below!
Yet Howe will be feeling the heat after Thursday's draw, with club chair Yasir Al-Rumayyan demanding success. He told Newcastle's media team in June: "(We) have the right people in management... We have the right players. To top it all, we have a great fanbase.
"If you have the right people and the will, and the right processes and funds, if you put all these together I think it is a great recipe for success and that is what we are achieving right now... We should have an ambition and aspiration to be number one."
The draw was much kinder to Arsenal, who will face Sevilla, PSV Eindhoven and Lens. Manchester City have also been handed a relatively comfortable group, as the European champions will be joined by RB Leipzig, Red Star Belgrade and Young Boys.
Manchester United will find it tougher to get out of their group after being pitted against Bayern Munich and England's captain Harry Kane. But the Red Devils should finish ahead of Copenhagen and Galatasaray, the other two teams in their group.