Solano lays down challenge to Magpies

Newcastle midfielder Nolberto Solano has challenged his team-mates to kick-start their season by launching their Champions League campaign in style against Dynamo Kiev tonight.

The 27-year-old Peruvian went through his paces at the Olympic Stadium with the rest of Bobby Robson’s squad last night as the Magpies completed preparations for their first taste in five years of Europe’s biggest club competition.

United headed for the Ukraine after losing successive Premiership games to Leeds and Chelsea to leave them just one place off the foot of the table, the position they occupied when Robson took over from Ruud Gullit three years ago.

But Solano is convinced one win is all United need to set the ball rolling once again, and tonight could hardly be a better time to start with arch-rivals Sunderland heading for St James’ Park at the weekend.

“We need to win one game, that’s all,” he said. “We haven’t started the season very well, but we’re okay, we’ll be all right.

“We have a good team and we need to win just one game and after that, we’ll do much better.

“We have to be more solid because we haven’t been really good defensively. We know we need to be much better like we were last season.

“We haven’t started the season very well, but now we have a chance to show what Newcastle can do in the Champions League.

“It’s one of the biggest competitions I can play in in my life, so of course I’m excited.”

United got their last Champions League campaign off to the perfect start with a famous 3-2 win over Barcelona at St James’ Park, and picked up their only other points with a hard-fought 2-2 draw in Kiev and then a 2-0 victory over eventual Group C winners Dynamo back on Tyneside.

Solano knows a repeat of that will be tough, but is confident that, just as they did last month in Bosnia against NK Zeljeznicar, they can get a positive result.

“The most important thing is to make sure we pick up at least a point,” he said. “If we can win the game, even better.

“I don’t know much about them, to be honest, but I know we have a lot of respect for them.

“Maybe they’re not the same team they were four or five years ago with Andrei Shevchenko and Sergei Rebrov, but they’re still a strong team. That’s why they’re in the Champions League.”

While United may not know too much about Alexei Mikhailichenko’s injury-ravaged side, which nevertheless beat Vorskla Poltava 8-0 last time out, they will have their own surprise package in Welsh striker Craig Bellamy.

The 22-year-old made his first start in almost seven months in the 3-0 defeat at Chelsea on Saturday, and his presence will be a major plus for Robson.

“He’s a magnificent player,” said Solano. “He now needs games because he hasn’t played for maybe six or seven months, but he’s important to us.

“He’s a player we need in the team making his runs up front because Alan Shearer is a different player.

“Lomana LuaLua and Shola Ameobi have done very well for us, but Craig’s pace gives us something different.”