Howe: Magpies 'back ourselves' to respond against Blades

United were beaten 2-0 at Selhurst Park on Wednesday night but have the chance to bounce back when they face the Blades at St. James' Park this weekend (kick-off 3pm BST).

Chris Wilder's men currently lie bottom of the Premier League table, ten points from safety, while Newcastle are looking for points to boost their hopes of qualifying for Europe for a second successive season.

Howe spoke to the media at the Magpies' Benton training centre on Friday morning. Here are some of the topics that were up for discussion:

On Sheffield United, who led at Manchester United in midweek but were ultimately beaten 4-2...

"They are competitive, as highlighted by their recent games. The game against Manchester United could have gone the other way.

"The beauty of this quick turnaround is that we have a chance to put on a much better performance. It will be a difficult game for us - we do not want to underestimate them. Chris is an outstanding manager, how he sets his team up. I have always admired him. It will be a difficult game, but we back ourselves if we play to our standards."

On Tino Livramento's fitness...

"Tino came on against Tottenham and had a slight reaction in his ankle after that game. It was minimal. It is the same story with a few of the players.

"We are having to look after him and hopefully those few days rest will make a big difference. Let's see how he feels today before making a decision on him tomorrow."

On the defeat at Palace...

"We were disappointing - we acknowledge that and hold our hands up to it. We missed those resilient qualities that we need, and that has been too often the case away from home. We have to do better."

On forward Callum Wilson, who made his long-awaited return from injury at Selhurst Park...

"Callum came through fine. I thought he looked good and worked well with the lads around him. He had a couple of dangerous moments. That was a positive from Wednesday."

On going into the final five games of the campaign...

"We must learn and absorb all the lessons from Wednesday. Every game is so difficult. It is up to us to firstly go into the game with the right mentality and let our players express themselves in the right way.

"We have to finish the season strongly. These are important games for us - we are under no illusions on how important these fixtures are. We have some tough games to play but we are looking forward to the last five."

On Nick Pope, Joelinton and Miguel Almirón, who are all working towards a return to action...

"They are getting closer, but not close enough. Nick is beginning to start his early training sessions with us. He has started to be with outfield players in shooting drills.

"Joelinton has seen a specialist and is working on his own programme. Miggy is there or thereabouts, and could be back next week."