Gordon Strachan’s Sky Blues travelled to Newcastle today aiming to get themselves back on track – and kill off a jinx.

City have not scored a goal at St James Park for ten years, since they won 3-0 in 1988-89 season and they will be extra keen for success tomorrow night after the manner of Saturday’s FA Cup defeat at Everton.

Strachan is expected to make several changes from the side which performed abysmally at Goodison Park.

He said:

"I am hoping that performance was a one-off. There is an atmosphere of disappointment and regret at the training ground. The regret gnaws away at you because you know you cannot play the match again.

"You cannot shake off regrets except by good performances and then eventually you forget about it.

"I don’t care what the players say to me about wiping out those memories. It is what they do on the pitch that counts.

"They began at Goodison at a pace which was below Cup tie pace and when they tried to step it up, the game was beyond them. They gave Everton the chance to put on their best performance of the season. As I say, I am hoping that showing was a one-off on our part."

Trond Soltvedt, Paul Telfer and new man Muhamed Konjic, the Bosnian centre-back from Monaco, are in the frame for possible inclusion at St James Park where City have conceded fifteen goals on their last five visits.