Marc Steutel insists Newcastle Eagles will come out fighting in Sunday’s SLB Trophy second leg after conceding December’s tough schedule has tested his remodelled roster to its limits.

The men in black take a four-point lead into their tie with Leicester following a topsy-turvy first leg on Tyneside.

But that slim advantage will count for little against Rob Paternostro’s in-form Riders.

And Newcastle face the added pressure of attempting to snap the three-game losing streak that’s stopped this season’s impressive progress in its tracks.

“December has obviously been a challenging month with European fixtures and crucial games on the domestic front in the league, Trophy and Cup,” said Steutel, after the Eagles were dumped out of the SLB Cup by Caledonia Gladiators on Friday.

“When you’re trying to compete at the highest level in every game and be the best that you can be, it takes its toll physically and mentally.

“December’s definitely been interesting from a psychological point of view and it’s been a first for me in this role, given the spread of competitions.

“It’s not really about changing your overall focus but it’s about understanding the competition parameters and working out where the key moments are in each game.

“We’re coming off a couple of performances that neither me nor the group are happy with and we’ve not lost two in a row — never mind three — all season.

“It’s important that we bounce back sooner rather than later and the Leicester game gives us the perfect opportunity to do that.”

With a trip to Birmingham and next month’s SLB Trophy final tantalisingly close, two of British basketball’s fiercest rivals will be desperate to take the honours.

But it’s the Riders who have the momentum going into a must-win tie after comfortably beating the Eagles in a one-sided Championship clash seven days ago.

What was one of Newcastle’s poorest displays of the season still rankles with Steutel and the proud playcaller won’t allow lightning to strike twice.

“The first leg of the Trophy was two teams figuring each other out,” he added. “It could have gone either way.

“But the game at their place last week was a bad day at the office for us and a good day at the office for them.

“We’ve learned from it and we’ve looked at why that performance happened. I don’t think it was anything too complex.

“They played well and we didn’t. It’s pretty simple and something that’s within our power to change.”

Having avoided each other for the first three months of the season, Newcastle and Leicester are in the midst of a four-game series within the space of 28 days.

And Steutel added: “Sometimes the schedule can be cruel like that. In the past we might have had that defeat at their place last weekend and not seen Riders again for several months.

“On the other hand the fixture list has given us an early opportunity to go back there and play the way I know we can with a lot on the line.

“We have to take it as a positive and take that chance.

“But when it comes down to it you have two sets of very talented players both fighting it out for a place in the first showcase final of the season.

“The past counts for nothing in that moment.

“Games like this are what this roster’s been building for since we first got together in pre-season and the opportunity to test ourselves in a semi-final environment is hugely exciting.

“It’s something we want to do and something we need to do if we’re going to get better.”

The crucial clash tips off at 5.30pm with the action screened live and for free via the DAZN app.