The high-flying Magpies were unbeaten going into their clash with City at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, but goals from Mario Balotelli, Micah Richards and Sergio Aguero ensured they succumbed to their first league defeat since the start of May. Despite the loss Alan Pardew's men remain in an impressive third place in the Premier League table, with a trip to Old Trafford to tackle champions Manchester United looming next weekend. Former West Ham striker Ba, who has hit eight goals in 11 league games this season, insists that the players are not too downhearted and can recover from Saturday's game. "We have some very strong characters in the dressing room and I am sure this result will not affect us," the 26-year-old told the Northern Echo. "We are not going to struggle mentally just because of one defeat. "It was our biggest challenge of the season, and even though we didn't win, I still think we played well. "The challenge now is to come back from this because we have another big game coming up next weekend." And Ba has tipped his side to cause a shock against the Red Devils, adding: "If we play like this next weekend, but just take the chances that come our way, I definitely think we can get something from Man United. "What we showed here, we just have to make sure we show it again next week. "If we do that, but bring something more in front of goal, I am pretty sure we will be OK."
