Steve McClaren has vowed to field the strongest eleven available to him this weekend as Newcastle take on Watford in the FA Cup third round.
Newcastle currently sit in 18th place on 17 points, two points behind Swansea City, and face a tough midweek fixture against Manchester United just days after this weekend’s FA Cup clash with Watford.
Despite the Magpies’ busy schedule and Premier League struggles, McClaren insists he will take the FA Cup seriously.
When questioned whether Newcastle are capable of reaching the latter stages of the FA Cup this season, McClaren (quoted by The Chronicle) responded: “Yeah, I’m absolutely confident we can have a go at that.
“We’ll play a strong team and every game is important. The FA Cup is as important as any other game. It’s another game we want to win.”
Ayoze Perez has echoed McClaren’s comments, stating Newcastle must take the FA Cup seriously for the fans.
“The fans need something more from us in those competitions. We want to fight for the FA Cup, and try to get as far as we can,” Ayoze told The Mirror.
Part of being a player at this club is knowing how long they have not won a trophy.
“We have not even got past the fourth round much in recent seasons, and that is a tradition we have to change. We have to look after the FA Cup this season.
“Every competition, we have to fight for it. It’s 61 years in May since Newcastle last won it, such a long time ago. We have a chance.”