Alan Pardew: “I speak to Sir Alex about a few things, and we’ve had some good games.
“I’ve not been on a winning side against him, other than as a player, so it’d be nice to get my first win as a manager against him.
“He sets the standard for the division and for our union, so it’s nice to cross swords with him.
“They’re the champions-elect in my opinion, that’s what we’ll be facing on Tuesday night.
“It’s a game I’m really looking forward to, I think the players are relishing it. They can’t wait for it, and I think the crowd and the stadium will reflect that as well.
“We’ve got committed players here, there’s a great team spirit and we want to see it home now.
“We want to finish strongly, and I think we can.”