Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez has revealed how he is treating the Championship promotion run-in.
After the 1-0 win over Burton Albion last night, the Spaniard explained that he has made the last eight games into a mini-league format for his players in order for them to focus just on the matches ahead rather than looking at the gap between themselves and the rest in the Championship table. He told the Northern Echo:
“We have a mini-league, we have won two already, and if we can carry on winning games it will be easier. It is important to enjoy this today, to spend a couple of days preparing and then be ready for the next one.”
The Magpies face a difficult trip to Hillsborough to play Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday but their victory over Burton last night has edged them closer to promotion.
Huddersfield’s 3-0 win over Norwich City means the gap to third remains ten points but the Terriers do still have a game in hand. With a superior goal difference, it means Newcastle need to reach 95 points to be absolutely sure of automatic promotion but with six games to go there are likely to be a few more twists and turns yet.
