Rafa ignores Sam’s ‘mind games’

Newcastle manager Rafael Benitez has dismissed Sam Allardyce’s suggestion that Crystal Palace will roll over at St James’ Park on Saturday.

Sunderland boss Allardyce said on Thursday he believed relegation rivals Newcastle would claim three vital points in the fixture because the Palace players would have been “on the pop” since reaching the FA Cup final.

Benitez played down Allardyce’s attempts at mind games, insisting his players cannot afford to be complacent heading into the game.

He said: “Obviously I agree we have to win. In my experience, it’s the players who make the difference, not the managers. I can prepare for the game, but to talk about mind games, I don’t take too much notice.”

However, the …

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