The Tyneside club entertain Fulham today before their second leg against Benfica, which is followed by the arrival of bitter rivals, and fellow strugglers, Sunderland at St James’ Park next weekend.
“That is the focus for Sunday and then we switch back to the Europa League to try and climb what will be a difficult hill. It’s not what I would call a mountain, but it’s a decent hill to try and get up.”
Despite the defeat in Portugal against a side which has gone 29 games unbeaten, Pardew saw enough in Newcastle’s performance to believe they can still reach the semi-finals.
“I think we have actually gained confidence from the way we played,” he explained. “When you go away from Benfica beaten 3-1, and you are really disappointed because you have gifted them two goals, you have got to take that into the next game.”
Fulham striker Bryan Ruiz, meanwhile, believes his side can take advantage of Newcastle’s jitters to help push on towards their highest ever Premier League finish of seventh.
“Newcastle are a good team but they have all the pressure; they need to win the game,” Ruiz said. “We are playing well, so if we do the things we’ve been doing, then we will be fine and can play with no pressure.”
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