Rafael Benitez says misfiring Newcastle side must get to the magical 40-point mark
Friday 8 December 2017 15:20, UK
Rafael Benitez claims his misfiring side are only interested in surviving in the Premier League and reaching the 40-point mark.
Benitez's team, promoted as Sky Bet Championship champions last season, head into Saturday's game with Leicester on a six-match winless streak consisting of five defeats - a run that has seen the club slip to 15th in the table on 15 points.
In contrast, the Foxes travel to St James' Park looking for a third straight victory having taken 11 points from the six games since Claude Puel was appointed as their new manager at the end of October.
"I was talking about 20 points in the first half of the league, and 20 in the second, it means 40 points is the salvation and, afterwards, [we] see where we are," the Spaniard said.
"Every point is important to us. I try to send the same message all the time."
The visit of the former league champions to St James' Park marks the Magpies' 125th anniversary and Benitez will be hoping to turn around their plummeting form.
"(The 125th anniversary) will be important for everyone here, and hopefully we can make the atmosphere a positive one for our players," Benitez added.
"We have to be really, really united if we want to stay in the Premier League.
"We have to improve as a team to make sure we can compete...We have to maximise what we have.
"It was amazing what Leicester achieved [in 2015/16], and you can see that they still have some of those players."
