Dec 9 (Reuters) - Bayer Leverkusen, buoyed by back-to-back away wins in the Champions League, are looking to take a big step forward in the competition with a win over Newcastle United, the German side's coach Kasper Hjulmand said on Tuesday.
Last month's wins at Benfica and Manchester City revived Leverkusen's European campaign, getting them to eight points from five matches and putting them within two points of the top eight who progress directly to the round of 16.
"We had a big push in this tournament with two wins... we are looking to take a big, big step in the tournament with a win at home," Hjulmand told reporters a day before his side host Newcastle.
Leverkusen will visit Olympiacos and host Villarreal next month in their last two Champions League games.
"It's a very good place to be if we win this one, looking at the next two opponents. We will have more pressure for the last two games, of course, but it will give us some appetite to go for it," the coach added.
However, Leverkusen's domestic campaign stands in stark contrast to their form in Europe, with Hjulmand's men losing their last two games in the Bundesliga, including a 2-0 loss at lowly Augsburg at the weekend.
Premier League side Newcastle, who are a point above Leverkusen in the Champions League table, are unbeaten in their last three games, during which they have scored eight goals and conceded four.
"It's a great (team), with a lot of power. A lot of pressing forward. Very physical, very good set-pieces. So it's a difficult opponent, but so are we when we play our best," Hjulmand said about Newcastle.
(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in BengaluruEditing by Christian Radnedge)
