Pardew: Insists priority is the Premier League

The Magpies were the surprise package of 2011-12, flirting with the Champions League spots throughout the campaign and eventually finishing fifth.

That has landed them a place in the play-off round of the Europa League and Pardew admits it will be important for Newcastle to get their approach to a more demanding fixture schedule just right should they advance in the competition.

He is, however, also keen to stress that the club's priority will remain the Premier League, in which he and his players are targeting something similar to or even better than last term's effort.

"It is going to very much be about how we progress in the Europa League - we still have to qualify, so we'll get through those two games and then we'll have to look at the matches and how we are going to schedule them," Pardew said.

"Without a doubt, I can tell you now that the Premier League is going to come first for sure, and we want to try to push from where we were last year, push those Champions League teams.

"We were the closest to them and we are going to try to narrow that gap if we can."

Newcastle begin their Premier League campaign in today's late-afternoon kick-off by hosting a Tottenham side that not only has a new manager in former Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas, but will also be without some of the players that shone most brightly for them last term.

Villas-Boas - the successor to the sacked Harry Redknapp - does not have injured midfielder Scott Parker to call upon, or Emmanuel Adebayor after the striker returned to Manchester City following the end of his loan spell, while playmaker Luka Modric is set to be left out with his move to Real Madrid looking imminent.

It all means the make-up of the team and way they might play is difficult to predict, although Pardew, while unsure of what exactly to expect in this encounter, is confident Tottenham are destined to do well over the next nine months.

"They are a little bit different to last year because their style is slightly different, and obviously in terms of the personnel," Pardew said.

"It is a bit of a mystery really what the team is going to be, so we are kind of guessing what we think it is and we'll work towards that.

"But I still think they will have a good season - they have great players and a great manager. It is a tough game for us."