Kylian Mbappe’s first-half strike helped lift 10-man Paris St Germain to a 2-0 victory at Le Havre after Gianluigi Donnarumma was sent off 10 minutes into the Ligue 1 contest.
Hosts Le Havre at times came close to an equaliser, but instead saw their five-game unbeaten streak snapped while making it five games in six without a goal.
Vitinha netted against the run of play in the 89th minute to seal the result for PSG, who have now won seven consecutive league matches for the first time since September 2021.
The result gave the league leaders a boost after Tuesday’s disappointing Champions League draw against Newcastle, with the Parisians now four points ahead of second-placed Nice.
Le Havre wasted a golden chance after the ball pinged around the 18-yard box before landing at the feet of Gautier Lloris, who would have netted an opener but for the quick reaction of Carlos Soler to clear off the line.
Then goalkeeper Donnarumma, already under scrutiny, completely misjudged a challenge on Josue Casimir and immediately saw red for a high boot.
On came Arnau Tenas to make his PSG debut, replacing forward Bradley Barcola, who boss Luis Enrique decided would be the necessary sacrifice.
The visitors would not be pinned back and Mbappe was first denied by a good save by Arthur Desmas with a left-footed effort but made no mistake with his second attempt, firing through three blue shirts from centre before the ball clipped the inside of the post and crossed in for a 23rd-minute opener.
Mbappe had the ball in the back of the net again before the break but the offside flag was raised, while Casimir could only watch agonisingly on when what should have been an equaliser sailed just wide of the post after finding himself in space inside the area.
Le Havre, desperate get something out of the man advantage, applied more pressure to begin the second half as Yassine Kechta forced Tenas to tip the ball over the crossbar, while Mohamed Bayo sent a weak effort into the arms of the replacement PSG goalkeeper.
Ousmane Dembele nearly doubled the Parisians’ advantage, his effort clipping the edge of the post before going wide, before Tenas saved Danilo Pereira from scoring an own goal after Bayo’s attempt took a deflection off the PSG defender.
Pereira would soon prevent substitute Nabil Alioui a chance at levelling, while the hosts showed off their own defensive prowess when Christopher Operi prevented a threatening Dembele from getting a decent shot away.
Alioui skied an effort then twice-tested Tenas, who was quick to react at his near post as the hosts desperately searched for an equaliser, Antoine Joujou side-footing the ball past the post before Alioui tried again.
But there was no coming back after Vitinha’s strike took a deflection off Lloris and in to cap off a disappointing ending to a once-promising afternoon for the hosts.
Luis Enrique laughed off suggestions Paris St Germain lack a cutting edge ahead of a tricky Ligue 1 trip to stingy Le Havre.
PSG registered 31 shots during their midweek Champions League clash with Newcastle but required a controversial late penalty from Kylian Mbappe to salvage a 1-1 draw.
The reigning champions are the highest scorers in France’s top-flight, having recorded an impressive 34 goals in just 13 games.
Head coach Enrique called for perspective in the wake of a frustrating midweek meeting with the Magpies and insisted he would be more concerned if his team were not creating chances.
“This is very funny,” the Spaniard replied with a bemused expression when asked about a potential finishing problem among his squad at his pre-match press conference.
“A team that scores three goals per game (on average) and generates 10 clear chances in the Champions League against a team like Newcastle?
“If we have a finishing problem, what does that mean for everyone else?
“Football is a game of mistakes. I would be worried if we weren’t making goal-scoring chances.
“Sometimes we will score more than others, that is life. We can’t all be inspired every time. I’m not worried about that.
“Sometimes we missed good chances, that is how it is. But we need to be sensible here.”
PSG are on a run of six successive league wins following last Friday’s thumping 5-2 success over Monaco.
Meanwhile, Le Havre have registered four goalless draws in their last five outings but sit in the top half of the table following promotion last term.
Enrique believes the Newcastle game will serve as good preparation for breaking down stubborn opposition on Sunday afternoon in Normandy.
“Le Havre are a team that don’t concede many goals and don’t score many either,” he said.
“I think they’ll defend with a low block, so good movement will be necessary.
“We’ve seen, especially against Newcastle, that even when the opponent defends deep, we can still manage to create a lot of chances.
“Therefore, it will be important to be well-positioned, to move the ball well, and to get our shots on target. It’s going to be a difficult match.”
PSG remain without defender Marquinhos due to a torn hamstring.
Warren Zaire-Emery, Nuno Mendes and Presnel Kimpembe are also still sidelined, while goalkeeper Alexandre Letellier (groin) faces a fitness test.
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has warned more VAR would “ruin” football after finding himself on the wrong end of a controversial decision.
Football’s lawmakers are considering options to extend the system’s use at the same time as a debate over its effectiveness in its current form rages on.
The Magpies were denied a Champions League victory at Paris St Germain on Tuesday after Polish referee Szymon Marciniak was asked to review a decision not to award a penalty for handball against Tino Livramento by VAR official Thomas Kwiatkowski and changed his mind to allow Kylian Mbappe to level in stoppage time.
Asked if he would like to see more or less VAR, head coach Howe said: “I’d like to see less VAR.
“I don’t have an issue with offsides because that is as close as it can be to being right, whether you agree with the decision, the lines give you a black and white yes or no. The rest, I’m not in favour.
“I still think it’s just another person’s opinion against another person’s opinion. It’s very subjective. I’d like to see less. I definitely wouldn’t want to see more because I think it would ruin the game.”
Kwiatkowski had been due to oversee Wednesday night’s Real Sociedad versus Red Bull Salzburg game in the same competition, but was stood down, a decision which brought Howe, who revealed the club have contacted UEFA to seek clarity over the penalty award, little comfort.
He said: “That for me, with VAR is an issue – not enough power is given to the on-field decision, which in this case was correct.
“I still believe – I’m old-fashioned in this – that the on-field decision should be given a little bit more strength because the referee is there, he’s feeling the game, he’s managing the game in the middle and I think that is worth something.”
Howe’s comments came as he prepared his players for Saturday evening’s Premier League clash with Manchester United at St James’ Park still contemplating a lengthy injury list, but with no new additions after an attritional night at the Parc des Princes and with hopes high that midfielders Joe Willock and Sean Longstaff will be sidelined for weeks rather than months.
Newcastle have lost just one of their last five encounters in all competitions with the Red Devils, who also suffered Champions League disappointment 24 hours later when they squandered a 3-1 lead at Galatasaray to draw 3-3, although Erik ten Hag’s side have won five of their last six league games.
Asked if he and his players could use their burning sense of injustice from Paris as added motivation, Howe said: “I always want that sense that we are against everybody outside of Newcastle when we play. I think that helps us.
“That is a good mentality to have, that we are competing against everybody else. It’s certainly served us well to this point and if it helps any individual players, then great.”
VAR will have to be removed from football if officials cannot find ways to use the technology more effectively, says former England midfielder Darren Anderton.
The use of video assistant referees has come under the spotlight this season, with a series of high-profile errors marring games in the Premier League and across Europe.
In September, Luis Diaz was incorrectly denied a goal in Liverpool's loss to Tottenham due to a "significant human error" which refereeing body Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) subsequently apologised for.
Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta made headlines when he described the decision to allow Newcastle United's winning goal against Arsenal as a "disgrace", while Wolves boss Gary O'Neil said he had "finally turned against VAR" on Monday after Fulham were awarded two highly contentious penalties against his team.
There was also controversy in the Champions League on Tuesday as Newcastle's Tino Livramento was harshly penalised for handball, allowing Kylian Mbappe to score a stoppage-time equaliser from the spot as Paris Saint-Germain rescued a 1-1 draw against the Magpies.
While Anderton believes VAR was brought in for the right reasons, he cited frustrating delays after goals and repeated mistakes as reasons why many wish to see the back of it.
"I would have [liked VAR] in the FA Cup semi-final in 1993 when I got brought down!" Anderton, who was part of a Tottenham side beaten by Arsenal on that occasion, told Stats Perform.
"I think it's a good thing and the idea of it is good, to make the right decisions, but it's not happening and that's a problem.
"There is nothing better than scoring a goal and you should be able to celebrate it and not worry that it's going to be chalked off.
"I feel like it's almost at a point now that whenever there's a goal scored, you're looking for something for it to be ruled out. I think that's sad.
"I think that's sad for players to have to be that way because the adrenaline of scoring a goal in a Premier League game or for your country... there is no better feeling.
"If it's taken away, it's taken away, but when you've got to stand there for three minutes, four minutes, you've got to be able to celebrate those moments. They're what you play the game for.
"So unless it gets better, they're going to have to get rid of it, and that's wrong, because you do want the right decisions in football games."
While the International Football Association Board (IFAB) has been discussing expanding VAR's remit to include other incidents such as yellow cards and corners, Anderton has a different idea.
He suggested VAR should be part of a challenge system similar to that used in the NFL, saying: "I don't know whether you just go to a point where now, like in American football, managers get a challenge.
"You get two or three challenges in the match so it doesn't become a hundred-minute football match. It's pretty crazy, and it's frustrating to watch. I'm with everyone on that."
The VAR official involved in the decision to award Paris St Germain a controversial last-gasp penalty to salvage a Champions League draw against Newcastle has been stood down from duty on Wednesday night.
The PA news agency understands Thomas Kwiatkowski will no longer be among the officials selected to oversee the Real Sociedad v Red Bull Salzburg match at the Anoeta Stadium.
Newcastle were within a few minutes of stoppage time of a famous victory at the Parc des Princes when a questionable handball decision against Tino Livramento handed Kylian Mbappe the chance to snatch a point, and it was one he took with some aplomb.
Asked if he felt a sense of injustice, Magpies boss Eddie Howe replied: “Yes, I do. It wasn’t the right decision in my opinion.
“There are so many things to take into account at that moment, the speed first. It was a ricochet that when it is slowed down, looks completely different to the live event.
“The ball hits his chest first, comes up and hits his hand. But his hand is not in an unnatural position, they (his hands) are down by his side, but he is in a running motion.
“I feel it is a poor decision and it’s hugely frustrating for us as you know how little time there is left in the game. There is nothing we can do about it now.”
The VAR official involved in the decision to award Paris St Germain a controversial last-gasp penalty to salvage a Champions League draw against Newcastle has been stood down from duty on Wednesday night.
The PA news agency understands Thomas Kwiatkowski will no longer be among the officials selected to oversee the Real Sociedad v Red Bull Salzburg match at the Anoeta Stadium.
Newcastle were within a few minutes of stoppage time of a famous victory at the Parc des Princes when a questionable handball decision against Tino Livramento handed Kylian Mbappe the chance to snatch a point, and it was one he took with some aplomb.
Asked if he felt a sense of injustice, Magpies boss Eddie Howe replied: “Yes, I do. It wasn’t the right decision in my opinion.
“There are so many things to take into account at that moment, the speed first. It was a ricochet that when it is slowed down, looks completely different to the live event.
“The ball hits his chest first, comes up and hits his hand. But his hand is not in an unnatural position, they (his hands) are down by his side, but he is in a running motion.
“I feel it is a poor decision and it’s hugely frustrating for us as you know how little time there is left in the game. There is nothing we can do about it now.”
Kieran Trippier cannot understand why the penalty which denied Newcastle a famous Champions League victory at Paris St Germain was given.
The 33-year-old England international was incredulous when Polish referee Szymon Marcimiak pointed to the spot after being asked to review an incident in which Timo Livramento blocked Ousmane Dembele’s cross deep into stoppage time and saw the ball ricochet off his chest onto the underside of his arm.
Kylian Mbappe scored from the spot with just seconds remaining to cancel out Alexander Isak’s first-half opener and snatch two priceless points from the Magpies’ grasp.
Trippier said: “It is disappointing, but we have to move on. I just try to enjoy football, but I am tired of discussing these matters, whether good or bad.
“Nothing can change it. The referee had the chance to go to the monitor, which he did, so I don’t understand it. From my point of view, it has come off his chest and onto his arm.
“I don’t understand what his decision was, even after the game. We tried to ask him. But we just have to move on and take it on the chin.”
Livramento, who turned in a fine individual display, was understandably distraught at the outcome, but his team-mates swiftly rallied around him.
“Tino is fine,” Trippier said of the 21-year-old. “He is a strong kid who had an unbelievable game again.
“It is one of those where everybody knows it wasn’t a penalty. Of course it is disappointing because it was him in that moment. We said, ‘Listen it wasn’t a penalty, so get it out of your head’.”
Newcastle travelled to Paris once again without a host of key players through injury, but produced their best away performance of the competition to date.
In the cold light of day, a point represents a creditable return no matter the context, and they will host AC Milan at St James’ Park on December 13 knowing a win would take them through to the last 16 provided PSG do not beat Borussia Dortmund – who have already qualified – in Germany the same night.
“There are so many positives still to take,” Trippier said. “We didn’t make one sub so it was 11 v 16. The lads have given absolutely everything.
“We all just have to keep stepping up and giving everything for the team.”
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe will head into the Champions League showdown with AC Milan desperate to continue a journey which has captivated him.
Howe, who turned 46 on Wednesday, did so still ruminating on the controversial 1-1 draw at Paris St Germain on Tuesday evening, which left the Magpies needing to beat the Serie A giants at St James’ Park on December 13 and hope the French champions do not win at Borussia Dortmund if they are to emerge from Group F.
Newcastle had come within a few minutes of stoppage-time of a famous victory at the Parc des Princes when a questionable handball decision against Tino Livramento handed Kylian Mbappe the chance to snatch a point, and it was one he took with some aplomb.
However, asked afterwards how much he had enjoyed the competition to date and how keen he was to extend that adventure, Howe said: “I’ve loved every second of it and I’m desperate to stay in it.
“We have been thrown in at the deep end against high-class opposition, some great stadiums and brilliant atmospheres and we are desperate to stay in the competition, and to show a better version of ourselves. We’d love the opportunity to do it.”
Should the Magpies beat Milan, they would have eight points and that would mean PSG, who already have seven, would have to win in Germany against the already-qualified Bundesliga side as the Premier League club would have the better of the head-to-head if they finished level.
Howe was angry with the penalty decision, which he described as “poor”, but his sense of injustice masked a belief that there could be another twist to come.
He said: “I think we have to look that we’re still in the competition. The first thing to do is look at that because it could have been different tonight, so that game now is going to take on huge significance for lots of different reasons.
“We’re back at home and we’re excited about the game when it comes around, so they’re huge positives for us. That’s why I don’t think we should lose sight of that despite the disappointing ending.”
The Magpies travelled to Paris with a raft of key players still injured and so little experience on the bench that the team which started also finished, some of them clearly running on fumes.
However, Howe was proud of the resilience they showed as PSG piled on the pressure, with goalkeeper Nick Pope making a series of fine saves while the men in front of him defended for dear life until fate intervened.
Their manager, who now faces the task of lifting the team for Saturday’s league clash with Manchester United at St James’, paid tribute to the spirit within the camp, which was exemplified in the face of a French onslaught.
He said: “We’ve shown that despite the huge number of players – quality players – not being here, the group has stepped up and given more.
“We’ve shown that the spirit and togetherness and the willingness to fight for each other is as good as I’ve ever seen it at any football club since I’ve been involved in the game, and we’re very proud to represent Newcastle, as I’ve said many times before, but especially on the European stage.
“Hopefully we can give them a reason for everyone to be proud of us back in Newcastle.”
Eddie Howe was left fuming after Paris St Germain denied Newcastle a priceless Champions League victory with a controversial stoppage-time penalty.
The Magpies were heading for a famous 1-0 win at the Parc des Princes until Polish referee Szymon Marciniak awarded a spot-kick against Tino Livramento after a VAR review, allowing Kylian Mbappe to level in the eighth and final minute of added time.
Howe, who said in a television interview that the official had been placed under “extreme” pressure by the PSG players, labelled a decision which cost his side two precious points “poor” in his post-match press conference.
Asked if he felt a sense of injustice, the Newcastle boss said: “Yes, I do. It wasn’t the right decision in my opinion.
“There are so many things to take into account at that moment, the speed first. It was a ricochet that when it is slowed down, looks completely different to the live event.
“The ball hits his chest first, comes up and hits his hand. But his hand is not in an unnatural position, they [his hands] are down by his side, but he is in a running motion.
“I feel it is a poor decision and it’s hugely frustrating for us as you know how little time there is left in the game. There is nothing we can do about it now.”
The pivotal moment arrived in the fifth minute of stoppage time when Ousmane Dembele attempted to deliver the ball across the Newcastle penalty area and saw it hit Livramento’s side and rear up on to the underside of his arm.
Mr Marciniak, who had earlier seen decisions not to award spot-kicks for an Anthony Gordon challenge on Achraf Hakimi and a shout for handball against teenager midfielder Lewis Miley upheld, was advised to review the incident and this time decided to award the penalty.
The Magpies, who had taken a 24th-minute lead through Alexander Isak, defended it for grim life until the last-gasp controversy, although they needed Pope to be at his brilliant best on several occasions.
They now need to beat AC Milan at home on December 13 and hope PSG do not win away to Borussia Dortmund to progress.
Asked if that was something to cling on to, Howe, who celebrates his 46th birthday on Wednesday, said: “Yes, I think that’s absolutely right. In the next couple of days, that will become more relevant in our thoughts, I think.
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“When the draw came out, it was the ‘group of death’ and I don’t think many people gave us a chance of qualifying from it and sitting here now, I’m a little bit frustrated that it’s not in our hands because when I look back at the two Dortmund games, I felt we could have done better in those matches.
“I don’t think it’s the time for that, I think it’s probably a time to be positive and to say that if we can beat Milan, then good things can happen from it.”
For PSG boss Luis Enrique, there was a mixture of relief and frustration on a night when his side created a host of chances but were unable to take any of them until Mbappe’s late intervention.
Enrique said: “Without a doubt, we played a very great game. We deserved to win. We played better than Newcastle. The result does not reflect what happened on the pitch.
“It’s not basketball. We are one of the teams in Europe that scores the most. Sometimes the ball doesn’t want to go in.
“Sometimes the game looked like table tennis. I couldn’t believe we couldn’t score, but we carried on despite the frustration.”
Former Newcastle skipper Alan Shearer has blasted the decision which handed Paris St German a Champions League get out of jail card against his home town club “disgusting” and “s***”.
Shearer, the Magpies’ record goalscorer, voiced his frustration on social media after Polish referee Szymon Marciniak was asked to review his decision not to award a penalty when Ousmane Dembele’s cross hit Tino Livramento in the ribs and then hit the underside of his arm. The referee belatedly pointed to the spot.
Kylian Mbappe, who had been denied repeatedly by goalkeeper Nick Pope and his defenders, made no mistake from 12 yards in the eighth minute of stoppage time at the Parc des Princes to secure a 1-1 draw.
An unimpressed Shearer wrote on his X – formerly Twitter – account: “Do me a f****** favour man. What a load of s***t.
“A superb battling away performance from every single player. Shouldn’t be spoilt by a disgusting decision. Well done @NUFC.”
Shearer’s former Newcastle team-mate Shay Given was equally unhappy with the decision, which brought back memories of the night in Paris that Thierry Henry’s handball which went unnoticed and cost the Republic of Ireland a place at the 2010 World Cup finals.
Given posted on X: “What a performance from the Toon. Terrible decision to give a penalty, not the first time I’ve left Paris with a controversial handball decision.”
Former Newcastle and England striker Michael Owen also criticised the penalty decision and the way the handball rule is being interpreted.
Owen wrote: “Heartbreaking for @NUFC. Such a good performance. Never in a million years is that a penalty.
“We are further away from applying consistency to the handball rule than we’ve ever been.”
TNT Sports pundit Ally McCoist branded Mr Marciniak’s decision “a disgrace”.
McCoist said: “It comes off his chest, then hits his left elbow. If that’s a penalty, we might as well forget about it.
“If we’re giving penalty kicks for that, it’s a disgrace. The whole night will be remembered by that decision.”
Colleague Jermaine Jenas, who spent more than three years of his playing career at St James’ Park, added: “It is a shocking decision – not in any walk of life is that a penalty. What is meant to do with his arms – wrap them around his back?
“I am fuming.”
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe was left fuming after Paris St Germain denied Newcastle a priceless Champions League victory with a controversial stoppage-time penalty.
The Magpies looked to be heading for a famous 1-0 win at the Parc des Princes as they battled their way through a second-half onslaught from the hosts until Polish referee Szymon Marciniak awarded a spot-kick against Tino Livramento after a VAR review, allowing Kylian Mbappe to level in the eighth and final minute of added time.
Howe, who said in a television interview that the official had been placed under “extreme” pressure by the PSG players, labelled a decision which cost his side two precious points “poor” in his post-match press conference.
Asked if he felt a sense of injustice, he said: “Yes, I do. It wasn’t the right decision in my opinion.
“There are so many things to take into account at that moment, the speed first. It was a ricochet that when it is slowed down, looks completely different to the live event.
“The ball hits his chest first, comes up and hits his hand. But his hand is not in an unnatural position, they [his hands] are down by his side, but he is in a running motion.
“I feel it is a poor decision and it’s hugely frustrating for us as you know how little time there is left in the game. There is nothing we can do about it now.”
The pivotal moment arrived in the fifth minute of stoppage time when Ousmane Dembele attempted to deliver the ball across the Newcastle penalty area and saw it hit Livramento’s side and rear up on to the underside of his arm.
Mr Marciniak, who had earlier seen decisions not to award spot-kicks for an Anthony Gordon challenge on Achraf Hakimi and a shout for handball against teenager midfielder Lewis Miley upheld, was advised to review the incident and this time decided to award the penalty.
The Magpies, who had taken a 24th-minute lead through Alexander Isak, defended it for grim life until the last-gasp controversy, although they needed Pope to be at his brilliant best on several occasions.
They now need to beat AC Milan at home on December 13 and hope PSG do not win away to Borussia Dortmund to progress.
Asked if that was something to cling on to, Howe, who celebrates his 46th birthday on Wednesday, said: “Yes, I think that’s absolutely right. In the next couple of days, that will become more relevant in our thoughts, I think.
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“When the draw came out, it was the ‘group of death’ and I don’t think many people gave us a chance of qualifying from it and sitting here now, I’m a little bit frustrated that it’s not in our hands because when I look back at the two Dortmund games, I felt we could have done better in those matches.
“I don’t think it’s the time for that, I think it’s probably a time to be positive and to say that if we can beat Milan, then good things can happen from it.”
For PSG boss Luis Enrique, there was a mixture of relief and frustration on a night when his side created a host of chances but were unable to take any of them until Mbappe’s late intervention.
Enrique said: “Without a doubt, we played a very great game. We deserved to win. We played better than Newcastle. The result does not reflect what happened on the pitch.
“It’s not basketball. We are one of the teams in Europe that scores the most. Sometimes the ball doesn’t want to go in.
“Sometimes the game looked like table tennis. I couldn’t believe we couldn’t score, but we carried on despite the frustration.”
Nick Pope has told Newcastle they have to believe they can win every game if they are to be thought of as a top team.
The Magpies head into Tuesday night’s crunch Champions League clash with Paris St Germain knowing their first campaign in two decades could be over if they lose.
Memories of October’s 4-1 demolition of the French champions at St James’ Park, which took Eddie Howe’s men to the top of Group F after two rounds of fixtures, have faded after back-to-back defeats by Borussia Dortmund left them at the foot of the table.
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However, asked what they need at the Parc des Princes, Pope said: “A win would be nice. That’s not going to do any harm in any group at any stage.
“It obviously keeps it in our hands as well, which is something that would be nice going into the Milan at home game. But the full focus has got to be on tomorrow night and taking it one game at a time.
“Every game we go into, we’ve got to look to win, whether that’s League Cup, Champions League, league.
“I believe we’re a top team and top team behaviours and top team attitudes, that’s what it is. Whoever the opponent may be, however good they are, we have to have the belief and the attitude that we want to win the game.”
Newcastle managed to keep PSG superstar Kylian Mbappe and his team-mates quiet on Tyneside, but the France international has been in lethal form since, scoring 14 goals in his last 11 games for club and country.
Another clean sheet in Paris would do Pope’s chances of winning back a place in the England set-up no harm and, although he insists he has no problem with manager Gareth Southgate’s decision to leave him out of recent squads, he knows what he needs to do to stand a chance of returning.
He said: “You can always do more. There’s more clean sheets to be had, more saves, better performances. I’ve got to look inwardly at that. Gareth’s decision to leave me out, I’ve got to make it that he can’t leave me out.”
Pope may not be the only Magpie whose form Southgate is monitoring, with Anthony Gordon staking his claim for an elevation from the under-21 ranks with a series of high-octane performances amid a crippling injury crisis.
Howe was without 13 senior players for Saturday’s 4-1 league win over Chelsea, in which the former Everton man scored the final goal, and will have to play a key role in the French capital if his side is to prosper.
The Magpies head coach, who may have to include 17-year-old midfielder Lewis Miley in his starting line-up once again after a hugely impressive display against the Blues, knows just how high the stakes are, but is not cowed by the pressure.
Howe, who put his players through their paces at the Parc des Princes on Monday evening having trained back in Newcastle for the previous two away games, said: “It’s difficult to predict football matches and what the results may be and the permutations of others’ games. We try not to lose energy doing that.
“From our side, we prepare to try to win this game, that’s all we can do and then worry about Milan afterwards.
“We’re certainly not in a strong position, we’re not in the position that we wanted to be, but we are where we are and we have to just focus on this game, and I think it’s imperative we don’t lose.”
Howe confirmed midfielder Joe Willock is to see a specialist on Tuesday over his Achilles injury.
Luis Enrique has warned Paris St Germain to prepare for a Newcastle onslaught as the sides go head-to-head in Champions League Group F on Tuesday night.
Enrique put the finishing touches to his plan to gain revenge for his side’s 4-1 defeat at St James’ Park in October at a rain-soaked Poissy on Monday morning having paid keen attention to the Magpies’ Premier League demolition of Chelsea.
Eddie Howe’s men were missing 13 senior players on Saturday but still surged to a 4-1 win with a display which impressed the PSG boss.
Enrique said: “If you saw the last match against Chelsea, physically it’s really incredible. Six players are putting on so much pressure, they can pressurise eight players at the same time.
“This intensity in their game and this pressure is something that we need to be prepared for.”
The reigning Ligue 1 champions were soundly beaten on Tyneside as goals from Miguel Almiron, Dan Burn, Sean Longstaff and Fabian Schar threw the group wide open.
However, Enrique’s men go into their penultimate fixture knowing a win could see them through to the knockout stage and while he is understandably wary of Newcastle, that is his focus.
He said: “The competition could be really short, it is a very complicated group and the ranking is really close, as you see.
“It’s true that now every game is decisive, it’s knockout style. Two teams could be qualified already tomorrow night depending on the results, so until the last day, we don’t know.
“I’m sure that my team is ready, though, ready to play, to be competitive on the pitch and that’s what we’ve been proving throughout the entire season.”
PSG have lost only once in all competitions since their horror show at St James’ – at AC Milan in their last European outing – and trounced Monaco 5-2 on Friday evening.
However, Portuguese midfielder Vitinha admits there is a score to settle against the English club.
Vitinha said: “We spoke after that match. We knew it was not a great result for us, of course. That was a very tough game and we know it’s another tough game tomorrow night awaiting us, but we still want to win.
“Maybe we have that little revenge feeling, but that stays inside us. Tomorrow is going to be a show and that we win, that’s the most important thing.
“We know it’s possible to qualify as fast as tomorrow, but we’re just trying to focus on this match and only on this match because the only way for us to qualify is to win, so that is what we are trying to focus on.
“We have to respect what the coach is asking of us and try to do everything to win this match and have a good standing in this group.”
Paris St Germain moved four points clear at the top of Ligue 1 after a display of ruthless finishing secured an entertaining 5-2 win over Monaco at the Parc des Princes.
Kylian Mbappe, who netted his 14th goal of the season from the penalty spot, was one of five different goalscorers for the home side, who have now won six games in a row in the league.
Monaco began the game just three points behind PSG and contributed fully to an end-to-end contest, but the visitors ultimately had no answer to the firepower at Luis Enrique’s disposal.
Goncalo Ramos had the first effort on target after six minutes with a curling shot from just outside the area which was straight at goalkeeper Philipp Kohn, while at the other end Takumi Minamino’s shot was deflected into the side netting.
Mbappe then brought an excellent save out of Kohn as he tried to steer a low shot into the corner from 12 yards, before Soungoutou Magassa’s free header from a corner was tipped over by Gianluigi Donnarumma.
The visitors thought they had opened the scoring in the 14th minute when Folarin Balogun’s shot was spilled by Donnarumma, who at least made amends by reacting quickly to block the follow-up effort from Vanderson.
Vanderson made no mistake at the second attempt, rounding Donnarumma before rolling the ball into the empty net, only for the flag to go up due to Balogun being offside when he received the ball from Aleksandr Golovin.
An entertaining game soon got the goal it deserved when Ousmane Dembele’s shot was spilled by Kohn to leave Ramos with a simple tap-in.
But just four minutes later another goalkeeping error allowed Monaco to equalise, Donnarumma coming under pressure from Balogun and hitting his attempted clearance straight to Minamino, who fired home left-footed.
Kohn again saved well from Mbappe before the home side reclaimed the lead in the 38th minute, Magassa bringing down Dembele in the area and Mbappe giving Kohn no chance from the penalty spot.
Minamino brought good saves from Donnarumma immediately before and after the interval but it was PSG who scored next – and twice in quick succession – to seemingly put the result beyond doubt.
Dembele raced on to a quickly-taken free-kick from Fabian Ruiz, cleverly flicked the ball forward with his left foot and then smashed a shot into the far corner with his right from a narrow angle.
Less than two minutes later it was 4-1 as Vitinha took Mbappe’s pass and curled a delightful shot from the edge of the area in off the post, but Monaco refused to throw in the towel and Balogun slotted home from Minamino’s pass for a third goal in the space of five minutes.
Monaco continued to push forward and Denis Zakaria was guilty of a poor miss when presented with a clear header from Golovin’s corner, but Randal Kolo Muani completed the scoring for PSG in injury time after Monaco failed to clear a corner.
Luis Enrique is confident his Paris St Germain squad have the depth needed to cope without injured captain Marquinhos and France starlet Warren Zaire-Emery as they prepare to face Ligue 1 rivals Monaco.
Brazil defender Marquinhos picked up a hamstring problem during the World Cup qualifier defeat against Argentina, which PSG expect to see him sidelined for at least 10 days and so will also miss next week’s Champions League match against Newcastle.
The Ligue 1 leaders were already facing up to 17-year-old midfielder Zaire-Emery missing for the rest of 2023 with an ankle injury suffered while he scored on his senior France debut against Gibraltar.
Enrique, though, feels there is enough cover to see his side produce the required performance when they host third-placed Monaco on Friday night.
“We have a squad that is the best of the (Ligue 1) championship, in my view. The only thing that every time a player gets hurt, it’s sad, because they won’t be able to play,” Enrique said.
“However, the number of players is very broad and is at a very high level.”
Enrique told a press conference: “We are used to it (injuries), but we have to make sure that the players get back.
“We take stock of what happened to the players, and we advise according to each one to have the best possible recovery.”
Monaco sits just three points behind PSG and Enrique warned against complacency as his side look to maintain their seven-match unbeaten domestic run.
Enrique said: “Monaco is a team I really like. They don’t waste time calculating, they don’t ponder about the result, they press hard.
“They always play at a good level and are the team that has created the most chances behind us.”
The PSG boss added: “It is an important match because they are a direct rival, but there is lots of time left to go in the league and there are many games to be played.
“It is not decisive, but we want to play to a better level than our opponent and have more chances,
“It is going to be a difficult match – but I have never seen an easy match in Ligue 1.”
Monaco boss Adi Hutter is expecting an open encounter at the Parc des Princes.
“We are not going to change our style of play, even if it is PSG, the leader and favourite for the title,” he told a press conference.
“They are very dangerous because they have already scored 29 goals, compared to 25 for us, which is not so bad.
“They are on five consecutive victories, so it will certainly be an open match for both sides.”
Monaco look set to welcome back Brazilian right-back Vanderson for the first time since late September.
Former Southampton defender Mohammed Salisu is also stepping up his recovery following groin surgery, but is not expected to feature against PSG.
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