Milner: We must have belief

Newcastle midfielder James Milner insists his side must believe in themselves if they are to have any chance of picking up a positive result against United on Saturday.

The Toon Army go into the tea-time clash at St James' Park still without a win under new boss Kevin Keegan and having conceded 11 goals in their last four games.

Unlike United, who have had FA Cup and Champions League commitments in the last week, Keegan's men have had a fortnight to prepare for the match and Milner is hoping their preparation will pay off.

"Manchester United is a big game for us and we have to rise to the occasion," he told Newcastle's official website. "It is all about how we are mentally as well. That is a big part of it.

"For instance at Villa, instead of us being 2-1 down, we were 4-1 down. Some of the time we have not really deserved it.

"It is about how we bounce back from conceding a goal. We need to be strong mentally. We know we need to get better, and that comes from hard work on the training field.

"Having a game every few days, you don't really get a chance to work on it. During this break, we have had a chance to assess things and to see where we are going wrong."

Newcastle were on the end of a 6-0 thrashing from United last month at Old Trafford. Milner admits the wounds are still raw from the defeat, but says a result against the Reds on Saturday would go a long way to getting the Geordies back on track.

"When results are not going your way, you lose a bit of confidence," admits the 22-year-old. "We sometimes do not have the confidence to put our feet on the ball and pass it as well as we can.

"That will come with a few positive results and performances - hopefully we get that against United. At the moment, things are not going for us, but we have been working hard to put things right."

Newcastle will be boosted by the return of Africa Nations Cup quartet Habib Beye, Abdoulaye Faye, Geremi and Obafemi Martins. Steve Harper will continue to deputise in goal if Shay Given fails to recover from a groin injury. It will Harper's 100th Newcastle appearance if he plays.