Steve Bruce admits he is wary of the threat posed by wounded Manchester United on Saturday evening.
The former Red Devils skipper leads his side into battle against a side that were thrashed 6-1 by Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford.
Man United find themselves in 16th position in the Premier League table.
Bruce, though, handed his players a warning ahead of the encounter on Tyneside.
He said: "I always fear when they get a bad result because they usually come out all guns blazing.
"We have to be ready for that. We are quietly confident."
Bruce and his players beat Man United 1-0 last term when Matty Longstaff grabbed the winner.
The game may come too early for Longstaff with the youngster struggling with a thigh injury.
Bruce said: "Arguably the game against Man United was the highlight.
"When you put a youngster in and it pays off it is great.
"The fans took the roof off in the last 15 minutes to get us through. I wish there were 50,000 there on Saturday."
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be a man under pressure on Saturday with a tough fixture list set to follow the game at St James' Park.
Looking at the game, Bruce added: "They have had bad results but we have to be wary of the backlash.
"They have some wonderful players at the top end of the pitch.
"However, we feel we can cause them problems."
