Rafa Benitez says that Newcastle United can’t afford to feel sorry for themselves in Sunday’s FA Cup fourth-round clash at Stamford Bridge.
Hopes of a cup run were dented shortly after the win against Luton Town in round three after it become clear that a tough trip to face Chelsea was on the cards for the Magpies.
Benitez’s side have already tasted defeat at this venue in the Premier League when a 3-1 success for Antonio Conte’s men in December left the United faithful down in the dumps.
However, Benitez is trying to keep spirits high ahead of the last 32 game and looking ahead to the game, the former Liverpool boss told the Chronicle: “We know that it’s a very difficult game for us.
“It is what it is though.
“We aren’t very lucky in cup draws but we have to be sure to take the good things from the last few games into Sunday.
“We will see what happens.
“Anything can happen in the FA Cup.”
Newcastle emerged from the Etihad Stadium with nothing to show for their efforts but Benitez is still satisfied with the way the team are performing.
He said: “We tried to beat Swansea and we deserved to win on the basis of chances created.
“The positive thing for me is we have more games at home to do that.
“If we take our chances we can win those type of games.
“We showed we were quite compact and solid.”