Newcastle boss Alan his team will have to be at their best if they are to book a place in the Europa League quarter-finals. The Magpies face big-spending Anzhi Makhachkala at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on Thursday evening.

He said: "It would be massive if we could beat this team because they are a really strong side.

"It's really now down to where every team left in that Europa League now is focusing on it probably as their primary objective.

"I can't think of too many clubs in it for whom it's not at the top of their agenda, so there's now a real focus on that competition."