'Never say never': Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe's revealing Champions League answer

Eddie Howe has high hopes for Newcastle United's first Champions League campaign in two decades.

The club qualified for the competition next season after finishing fourth in the Premier League last season.

Newcastle will go straight into the group stage of the competition, where they could meet some European heavyweights.

While the season will be a steep learning curve for a club which has not played in Europe for more than a decade, and was in the relegation zone for much of the 2021/22 campaign, Howe is determined that his team will be competitive.

Asked if the club could go all the way in the competition, United's head coach said: "Never say never. I wouldn’t sit here and say 'yes', and I wouldn’t sit here and say 'no', either.

"The challenge when you look at the teams in the Champions League, it’s a brilliant thing to be part of. But you don’t just want to experience it, you want to compete.

"I'll never give a prediction, but we want to be competitive. We definitely want to enjoy it, and take a lot from the experience, but, when you’re there and you’re in it, you’re there to try and win. That is always our approach."

Howe is looking to add a "small group" of players to his squad ahead of the new season.

"We don’t have the ability to spend the money people will think we have, so we’re going to have to be very smart," said Howe.

Meanwhile, Premier League champions Manchester City take on Inter Milan in Saturday's Champions League final looking to do the treble, having also on the FA Cup.