IT has been billed as a game that could define their season, but Ayoze Perez insists Newcastle United have to turn the pressure onto their opponents, Cardiff City, when they head into tomorrow’s relegation showdown at St James’ Park.

The Magpies find themselves in the Premier League’s bottom three after last weekend’s defeat at Chelsea, and with back-to-back games against Manchester City and Tottenham following this weekend’s meeting with Cardiff, it is surely imperative Rafael Benitez’s side take all three points if they are not to become cut adrift in the relegation zone.

While Newcastle have done reasonably well at keeping the score down against the top teams in the league, they have found it more difficult to play on the front foot against the sides in and around them in the bottom half of the table, particularly when they have been playing at home.

December’s goalless draw with Fulham followed home defeats to Wolves and Brighton, and Newcastle’s record of eight defeats from 11 home matches is their worst ever at this stage of a Premier League season.

Perez accepts the home form is a major source of concern, but is adamant the only way to rectify it is by addressing it head on. So rather than being cowed when they host Cardiff tomorrow, the Spaniard has urged his team-mates to get on the front foot and adopt a forceful and positive approach.

“We have to make the other team feel the pressure,” said Perez, who came off the substitutes’ bench to score Newcastle’s final goal in their midweek FA Cup replay win at Blackburn Rovers. “We have to make them feel uncomfortable, press them as much as we can, and go for it.

“We have to believe in ourselves. We have enough quality to win games and, especially in this league, you feel uncomfortable when you are put under pressure when the other team is at it.

“This is what we need to try and do in order to change our form at home because it hasn’t been good enough.”

Tuesday’s win at Ewood Park came with a much-changed team, but still represented Newcastle’s first victory of any description in 2019, helping temper some of the despondency that had built in the wake of the club’s return to the relegation zone.

Perez will return to the starting line-up tomorrow, along with Martin Dubravka, Florian Lejeune and Salomon Rondon, and with last weekend’s performance having provided more reasons to be positive despite the result, the 25-year-old insists morale remains high.

That said, however, no one is under any illusions about the importance of tomorrow’s game, with Cardiff currently a point above Newcastle in the table.

“Winning gives you confidence, so in this case we have extra confidence, and we have that winning feeling back,” said Perez. “That’s a positive.

“We know it’s time to pick up points. We have a big chance to get three points against Cardiff at our home, so we have to go for it. The schedule is not kind to us, with the FA Cup replay and playing the top teams all in a row, but we’ve got the chance to win against Cardiff, and obviously we need to win that game. We will go for it.”

While Perez spent most of Tuesday night on the substitutes’ bench, a number of Newcastle’s youngsters took their chance to shine.

Sean Longstaff and Callum Roberts scored first-half goals, Freddie Woodman made some important saves, and Jamie Sterry also acquitted himself well at right-back. Having made his Newcastle debut a few days after his 21st birthday, Perez knows how important it is to seize your chance when it arrives.

“I’m really happy for them,” he said. “A couple of years ago, I was in that situation, so I know how they feel.”