Eddie Howe's men play host to West Ham on Saturday afternoon in what will be a six-pointer in the race for European places. Both sides come into the match in mixed form but St James' Park remains a tough place to go and win this season.
The Magpies have not lost on home soil since January when Kevin De Bruyne inspired champions Manchester City to a 3-2 comeback victory.
That said, the Magpies' inconsistent form from the backend of 2023 has continued into the new year and the Geordies will have to find consistent form between now and the end of the season if they are to qualify for a European place at the end of the season.
Saturday's opponents, West Ham, move into a decisive period of the season and want to carry their good recent form, which saw them romp to a 5-0 win against Freiburg before gaining a point at home against Aston Villa, in Saturday's game against Newcastle. They have tools to really hurt the Magpies with England international.
Jarrod Bowen spoke of his disappointment this week as he was inches away from adding another goal to his impressive tally to the season against Belgium for England this week.
Meanwhile, the Hammers could be buoyed by the return to the squad of Ghanaian, Mohammed Kudus. The mercurial talent has been one of the signings of the season and the cherry on top of a brilliant summer of spending last summer from David Moyes' men.
With Kudus back in contention and added to the likes of Bowen, Ward Prowse and Paqueta, West Ham have goals from all over the pitch.
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On Tonali being charged with betting offences by the FA
It was reported this week that Tonali had been found in breach of the FA's betting regulations. Eddie Howe urged the FA to be lenient towards an issue which Sandro Tonali has admitted is a mental problem he struggles with.
"The news that there was an FA charge - that illness didn't stop when he moved from Italy to England. That illness was there and people should look at it that way, not 'let's throw the book at him and punish him even further' because I don't think that gets to the root of the problem."
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On Gordon's England debut
Eddie Howe was gushing with pride in his press conference when talking about Anthony Gordon's experience making his debut for England in the recent friendlies against Brazil and Belgium.
When Gordon arrived at the club there was a few eyebrows raised by onlookers but Howe has really brought the best out of the Liverpool-born wide player since he arrived. He responded to his time away with England by saying the following:
“It is a really satisfying feeling for me to look at Anthony and all the players that are travelling all over the world, representing their countries. A huge feeling of pride. I have seen how hard Anthony has had to work for that moment and what he's given to the process to achieve that. It hasn't been easy for him. He's really had to work at every aspect of his game.
"He has been committed. He's had some difficult moments but then, this season, he has flourished and produced some really consistent performances. To see him get that moment, I knew how much it would mean to him.
"It was great to see him and Bruno going against each other.”
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On further injury problems for Newcastle
Over the international break, Newcastle received the unwelcome surprise of yet another injury blow- this time to central midfielder Lewis Miley.
The youngster suffered a back injury whilst on international duty with the England under-20s. This may rule out the local talent for the remainder of the season.
This was added to the news that Sven Botman will be out for the remainder of the season as he has surgery on a knee injury.
Howe further elaborated on the situation regarding Sven Botman who risked worsening his injury by playing through pain.
“A big blow. It’s a complex story around Sven this season since he got his knee injury. Initially, he had a partial tear of his ACL, we saw specialist opinion on that injury and there were conflicting reports on what he should do next.
"Ultimately, our medical team advised him to get surgery. He wanted to carry on playing and we'll always try to guide and help the players but it's their bodies and they have to make the final decision. I've seen several players from that injury come back and carry on playing and stay fit.
"It's a delicate issue for him. He now has a long period of rehab ahead of him and we wish him well and hope he comes back in a really good place."
Whilst the Magpies have been dealt two huge injury blows in recent weeks they could be boosted by the return of key players to the squad for the visit of the Irons. Kieran Trippier, Tino Livramento and Harvey Barnes are in contention to face their European chasing rivals.
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Targeting a strong finish to the campaign
The Magpies are currently sat in mid-table and will take a strong finish for the North East outfit to occupy a European spot. After they exited the FA Cup at the hands of Manchester City, many supporters were downbeat about their side's season declaring it over. Howe was eager to stress that, four points from seventh-placed West Ham, with a game in hand and with ten games left, he and his players think differently.
“With the ten games we have, it is a really good opportunity for us to finish strongly. We are looking for consistency in our performance and results.
"It's a good chance for us to build for next year and to find our best rhythm back, hopefully welcoming some key players back from injury and we can feel that strength towards the end of the season.
"It's important for us. I think there's been a few quotes that our season is over. Internally, we're certainly not looking at it like that at all. We are focused on building and finding some positive momentum.”