Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe recently spoke to Ollyhud ahead of the historic trip to Wembley for Newcastle United in the 2023 Carabao Cup Final.

The cup final, against Manchester United, will be the Magpies’ first trip to the home of football since the 2000 FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea - at the old Wembley Stadium.

Eddie Howe spoke of how preparation for cup finals are similar to preparing for any other match.

“It’s not just big games” he said. “Preparation for us trying to be very consistent. We will try and approach it the same as any other game.

“Sometimes it’s about taking pressure off the players rather than adding the pressure to them.

“Sometimes it’s about adding pressure to them and making them realise the importance of the game, so you have to read your players’ mindsets as you prepare for the match.”

Talking about preparation, he added how much different ways of preparation go into a game of this magnitude.

He said: “I don’t think you can neglect one aspect of preparation. Certainly, the tactical preparation is hugely important.

“Physically, you’ve got to get the players in the right frame of mind. You don’t want to overtrain, you don’t want to undertrain, so you’ve got to get the balance right.

“Mentally, the players have got to enter the pitch in a confident place and be able to express themselves in the best way that they can.

“All these things, we try and consider, from the team perspective but also from the individual.”

Howe went on to talk about the great season the club is having, from rising to fourth in the Premier League table to reaching a cup final.

He finished: “I don’t think you can prepare for success. I think you try to create a culture which brings you the optimal chance for success, but I’ve never been one to try and predict what is going to happen.

“The culture, the day-to-day working and the atmosphere in the group - they’re things you can control and they’re things we try and concentrate on.”

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