As Newcastle United prepares for the Europa League quarter-final first leg with Benfica in Portugal, Alan Pardew acknowledges the team needs to deal better with pressure.
The injury-hit Toon sit 15th on the Premier League table and have failed miserably in recent outings but Pardew has the belief that his squad is strong enough to get something out of Europe's second tier club competition as well as finish in the top half domestically.
"It is not easy to forget about, because we are in a position where pressure is on us," Pardew said.
"We acknowledge that pressure and it is something we have to address in Premier League games.
"But we have had some criticism for not taking the Europa League seriously, and then there have even been a couple of suggestions that we are now taking it too seriously, regarding our Premier League position.
"We have tried to enter every game to win it. My team is a strong one, which has the confidence to progress in this competition - good as the opposition are - and the quality to ensure our safety in the Premier League, regardless of the injuries we have had."
Click here to reach the No1 destination for hard news and exciting gossip on Newcastle United