Newcastle v Brentford: Magpies shift focus to Champions League qualification after highs of League Cup glory

Captain Bruno Guimaraes did not mince his words after Newcastle United's dismal 4-2 Premier League defeat at Brentford in December. Despite twice fighting back from a goal down in a frantic first half, Newcastle capitulated after the break capping off an error-strewn display at the Gtech Stadium. It was a defeat that left Eddie Howe's side 12th in the table having won only twice in their previous 11 league games and seven points shy of a top-four spot. “Very disappointing,” said Guimaraes. “In the first half we had some very good moments, but after the third goal we lost our way, we lost control … we became a mess, we gave the ball away a lot and we were punished. “We can’t keep conceding as much as we have been. It is a team problem, and we have to stop this. To be honest, our season has been very disappointing.” “Really frustrating, we are really disappointed with the manner of goals we conceded,” added manager Howe. “It's not even individual mistakes, there's two or three actions I'm not happy with for each goal. We have to do better.” As bad as the performance was, that defeat would be a turning point in Newcastle's season. It would kick off a club-record equalling nine-game winning run across all competitions that would see the team jump up to fourth in the table, defeating the likes of Aston Villa, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal along the way. While there have been a few bumps in the road since – Newcastle have lost three out of their last five league games and were knocked out of the FA Cup at home to Brighton – the city is still on a high from their historic League Cup final win over Liverpool . On Wednesday, the Magpies take on Brentford again, this time at St James' Park and coming just four days after 300,000 took to the streets of Tyneside for an open-top bus parade celebrating their first domestic trophy since 1955 . And manager Howe was in no doubt of the importance of that stinging Bees loss back in December. “It was a very difficult day, that one,” he said in Tuesday's pre-match press conference. “It was a catalyst for us in terms of regrouping and changing our season's momentum. We went on a really good winning run after that.” The task now for Howe is making sure his players can build up momentum again in the Premier League after Saturday's celebrations. Beating Liverpool at Wembley Stadium means a spot in the third-tier Europa Conference League is already safely in the bag but a return to playing against the continent's top dogs is the ultimate target. “There's no doubting the power of Champions League football,” said Howe, whose team are sixth in the table. “It could be game-changing in terms of revenue and also in terms of what it means and the competition, and then of course the changes that you have to make to be ready for Champions League football. “We need to put what happened against Liverpool to the back of our minds and now really focus on the future,” he added. “We have 10 games and 10 great opportunities to try to turn our Premier League season into a memorable one like the cup final. We are looking forward to it and I am hopeful the lads are boosted and have renewed confidence.” For Howe, refocusing after the parade will not be a problem – his preparation for the season run-in began before some fans had even arrived back home in Newcastle from the capital. “Really, honestly, it was the next day,” replied Howe when asked how long it took him to go back to work following the cup final. “It's just how I'm wired and it's how I'm built, and I tried to sort of have a word with myself and change how I am, but I couldn't – so I was back watching the Liverpool game the next day. “I can't change who I am, so I enjoyed that because it was a good performance and you always enjoy it when you play well, and then it was a case of watching Brentford on the same day and being straight back to work.” On Wednesday, they take on a Brentford whose away record is formidable of late with Thomas Frank's side having won five successive league games on their travels. And Newcastle will be without winger Anthony Gordon for the game after he picked up an injury while away on England duty. “He has a really nasty bruise in his thigh. But he is up and running.” “He hasn't trained with the group yet an we anticipate to do that in the next few days.”

Newcastle v Brentford: Magpies shift focus to Champions League qualification after highs of League Cup glory

Eddie Howe's team target Premier League push just days after 300,000 fans took to streets of Tyneside to celebrate historic Wembley win