RAFAEL BENITEZ has refused to be drawn into mind games with Sam Allardyce but has agreed with the Sunderland manager’s assertion that Crystal Palace will have one eye on a FA Cup final ahead of today’s trip to St James’ Park.

Allardyce, whose side are looking to stay above their Tyne-Wear rivals in the relegation battle by winning at Stoke City today, cheekily claimed he would bet on Newcastle defeating the Eagles this afternoon.

The Sunderland boss suggested Palace will be thinking about the trip to Wembley later this month to face Manchester United rather than the Premier League and the players will have been ‘on the pop’ since winning the semi-final with Watford.

Benitez has had a number of feuds with Allardyce during his managerial career but he was not prepared to enter a new war of words ahead of this weekend’s round of fixtures in the battle to avoid the drop.

But the Newcastle boss said: “The cup final is there. That is the main thing. As a player or as a manager, how many times might you experience a cup final? Not too many and for some players, it will be just once. It is the opportunity of your life and you cannot change that. In the back of their heads has to be the final.”

Benitez has won silverware almost everywhere he has been since stepping into management and he memorably won the Champions League in 2005, when the run to the final had a negative impact in Liverpool’s push to finish in the top four.

He said: “We finished fifth so that explains everything. I remember when I was pushing my players in my first year at Liverpool, we were in the final of the Carling Cup in February and everyone was excited. After that, when you are in the Champions League final, I remember we lost against Birmingham and I was pushing the players.

“Every time we were losing, I said to them “we have an opportunity” and they were reacting but you never know, in the back of their heads was the final and you lose something. You lose something. Because you are just so focused on the final. We had a break in La Manga and everyone was just thinking about the Champions League not the league games.”

Allardyce’s comments smacked of a manager trying to win the psychological contest as the relegation fight enters its final rounds.

Benitez, often portrayed as playing mind games with Sir Alex Ferguson during their time managing Liverpool and Manchester United, insists the comments emanating from across the River Wear will not even register among his players.

He said: “I don’t think (Sam’s quotes) will make a lot of difference especially when you have a lot of foreign players. When I was in Italy, the Spanish players did not read the press. They watch the telly sometimes but the foreign players are not following the news so do not care what someone might be saying.

“Sometimes it is the way of some managers. I can read it if it is something I am interested in I will say ‘fine’ but it does not change too much the way I approach the game.

“My job is to concentrate on my team. The Palace players and manager have to decide what they want to do and I have to concentrate on my team.”

Whatever words are spoken, Newcastle know what matters above all is collecting the necessary points to keep them in the Premier League.

A victory over Crystal Palace could see them climb out of the bottom three ahead of next Saturday’s trip to already relegated Aston Villa.

Benitez, whose side will close the season by facing Tottenham on the final day, said: “I do not need to look at the table all the time because we know where we are. My concern is just the things we can control.

“We have to concentrate on just getting three points in this one. If we do not win this one, people will say we are finished but this is football so you never know.

“But in my head, yes, we have to win this one. It will give us a boost for the next game if we do and make it massive for the last one. If we have to win three, it means first, you have to win the first one!”