Newcastle United forward Shola Ameobi has backed the club to secure a European spot this season.

Ameobi, 30, secured a point for Newcastle in their 1-1 draw with Sunderland on Sunday, leaving the Magpies in sixth place in the Premier League.

"It's a realistic target for us now, trying to get the European spot, and the fans can rest assured we are going to do everything we can to try to achieve that," Ameobi told reporters.

"Chelsea are having a tough time at the moment and Liverpool lost on Saturday, so it was an incentive to get a result for us to try to put a gap between us and them."

Ameobi has scored two goals in 21 games this season.