Rafael Benitez: "We have to stick together"

Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez has urged his players to "stick together" as they look to get back to winning ways when Birmingham City visit St James's Park on Saturday.

The Magpies have now suffered three back-to-back defeats in all competitions, with successive league losses to Blackburn Rovers and Nottingham Forest coming either side of an EFL Cup exit at the hands of Hull City.

Benitez's men remain top of the Championship table, however, and the Spaniard is hoping that an eight-day break since their last fixture will help them to a positive result against Gary Rowett's visitors.

"The players realise, and hopefully the fans also, that if we stick together we can be stronger," Benitez told the Newcastle website. "If not, because we are top of the table, because we are a top side in the Championship, then it's easy [for things] to go against us. It's easy to say 'they can win because they have good players' or 'they've spent a lot of money' or whatever.

"So we have to stick together and be sure if we have any problem, we help each other. We know that it is a long race and we know that we have to keep going and pushing. We can be upset, but at the same time we have to work harder.

"We play against a good team again - but even when we play against teams at the bottom of the table, they are quite difficult. I think [Birmingham] are doing a great job; they will be tough, and after we have to play in the FA Cup against them. It's a good test."

Birmingham enter the match fifth in the Championship, nine points behind Newcastle.