Eddie Howe will be looking for a similar type of response from his Newcastle United players by the time they check out of their luxury hotel in Dubai.
Last season their stay at the Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex resulted in a strong finish in the Premier League from Howe's squad as they served up six wins from nine games to end the campaign in a respectable 11th place. Another half-dozen wins this time around will pretty much assure them a place in Europe.
The first part of Newcastle's visit to the Middle East has been about rest and recovery after an intense late winter period that included some crunch top-flight matches and the run-up to the Carabao Cup final. The Newcastle boss spoke about the "excursions" of the cup run and the ups and downs of getting to the final showpiece before the emotional fallout of losing at Wembley.
