Rafa Benitez reveals why he is convinced Newcastle CAN stay up

The club is 19th in the Premier League ahead of tomorrow’s Tyne-Wear derby.

Newcastle were beaten 1-0 by Leicester City on Monday night in what was Benitez’s first game in charge.

But Benitez has been buoyed by the response of his players ahead of Sunderland’s visit to St James’s Park.

Asked about his team’s chances of staying up, he said: “I have the same confidence that I had before – maybe a little bit more. I have seen the commitment of the players.

“They have worked really hard. Every single session from the first day ... everybody is telling us that they are training really well and they are concentrating.

“We didn’t know how they were working before. We don’t have any complaints about the players.”