The Stade Velodrome was eerily quiet as Newcastle United trained on the pitch.
But Eddie Howe needed no reminding that it was going to be “red hot” when his side face Marseille on Tuesday night.
“This will be a very difficult game,” the head coach said. “A testing environment for us.”
It certainly feels like a timely test for Newcastle, who have only recorded a solitary away win in all competitions in the last seven months.
That win did come in Newcastle’s most recent Champions League away day, an impressive 4-0 victory against Union Saint-Gilloise, back in September.
But this side have not clicked on the road.
After recording three straight home wins, versus Benfica, Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle ultimately floundered on the road at West Ham earlier this month.
Similarly, after defeating Athletic Club in their last Champions League fixture, Newcastle suffered a bruising defeat at Brentford just a few days later.
They bounced back from that 3-1 loss by recording a memorable victory against Manchester City at St James’ Park on Saturday.
But Howe knows his side need to back the result up on their travels.
“We are looking for that consistency of performance and the feeling you have when you know you are going to perform, where it’s not in doubt” he said. “We have had that for a long time.
“This is probably the first time since I’ve been here where there is that element where you are hoping we perform and bring everything together. But, from past experience this season, there is no guarantee.”
