Newcastle coach Eddie Howe said his side had faced confidence issues during a series of difficult performances, but he backed them to continue on their winning ways against Ipswich.
Howe's side beat Leicester City 4-0 last weekend, and followed that up with a 3-1 win over Brentford in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals in midweek.
Before that, the Magpies had gone four games without a win, but Howe is ready to see more points – and goals – over the Christmas period.
“We are human beings and I think there have been – slightly at times – trust issues,” he said.
“But I think you saw a really good feeling within the team in the last two games. I would probably say three out of four were really strong, as strong as we've seen this season.
“Hopefully that's a good sign. I think we're scoring goals again, which builds confidence.
We look forward to continuing our momentum. 👊 pic.twitter.com/UUXpOEyIjX
– Newcastle United (@NUFC) December 20, 2024
“Three goals again that night and we probably could have scored more goals from different areas of the pitch, which we haven't really scored this season.
“We've always had that historically, goals from everywhere. I think it's a really important aspect and it was great to see Sandro (Tonali) score two great goals for us.
“I think if you think you can score goals from a number of sources, from areas of the team, then it naturally makes you feel better about yourself.”
Team news
Callum Wilson is again missing long-term as the striker suffers injury, while midfielder Joelinton will miss the Ipswich clash.
Howe said: “Jolinton is fine, he's just a little bit battered and bruised, and I think he had some stitches yesterday, around his ear area, which was very sensitive.
“He's had a mouth cut, so I think, probably, he's not available this weekend, which is probably a good thing for him because it allows him to rest those bruises and cuts and then hopefully be fit for the following week.”
How on Ipswich: “We know Portman Road, Ipswich is a tough game, they're a really competitive team.
“I think Kieran (McKenna) has done an unbelievable job there, and even the games they've lost this season, they've been in all those games, very close games, very competitive team as I said.
“So we have to be very alert to be ready for the game.”
