Alan Pardew: “It is a humbling experience to be the man to lead Newcastle back into Europe.
“I am sure our fans are very excited by the draw.
“So it is nice to take them to a great city like Athens.
“They are excited and so are all my players.
“They are looking forward to it just as much as the fans.
“There are no easy games in Europe.
“This will be a tough test for us.
“It is also a bit of a worry the fact we have a four-hour flight.
“We are looking into seeing if we can turn the legs around.
“They sound up for it. Whether UEFA will allow the legs to be turned around we will have to see.
“Overall, it is a good draw for us.
“Athens is a lovely city and it is a beautiful place, I have been there before.
“It is just a great adventure for us.
“We can all look forward to it now.
“The game with Olympiacos has turned into a good fixture for us now.
“We had a taste of how a Greek team goes about things – a team which was in the mix with Atromitos.”