Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez has suggested that his side may be their own biggest rivals this season.

The Magpies sit ninth in the Championship as they welcome second-placed Norwich City to St James' Park in their biggest game of the season to date.

After losing their opening two matches, Newcastle went on a run of five consecutive wins, before being beaten 2-0 at home by Wolverhampton Wanderers and held to a 1-1 draw at Aston Villa at the weekend.

Nevertheless, Benitez's men remain the firm favourite with the bookies for automatic promotion to the Premier League this season, with the Canaries hot on their heels.

"Maybe the biggest rivals [we face] are ourselves. So we have to be sure that we do what we can do. We have to perform at the level we know we can perform. We can beat anyone or we can lose to anyone because it is a difficult league," Benitez told The Chronicle ahead of the encounter.

"But if we do what we have to do we will get stronger and stronger and at the end of the season we will be at the top. Obviously you respect your rivals. But the main thing is we have the potential. Play to maximum, sometimes you draw or lose, but at the end you'll be at the top of the table."

More than 50,000 are expected to attend tonight's game, which will see Alex Neil's visitors return to the top of the table should they claim maximum points in the North-East.