Newcastle defender Kieran Trippier jokes his mascot son would rather run away with PSG idol Kylian Mbappe than him… but he’s been told not to look his dad in the eye when he does!

Kieran Trippier was less than amused by the questions (and lots of them) about Kylian Mbappe, the player his Newcastle boss Eddie Howe had branded ‘the best in the world’ moments earlier.

Trippier is a star in his own right and, with some justification, he wasn’t about to succumb to the ‘starstruck’ story being told. He dismissed a question about swapping shirts, as if to put his opponent in touch.

But when Mail Sport turned the subject to his six-year-old son Jacob, who will be one of the mascots here at St James’ Park tonight, he was prepared to let his guard down.

‘I was teasing him a bit last night and he said he wanted to go out with Mbappe instead of me. I wasn’t really happy about that!’ revealed the English defender. ‘He’s obsessed with him and always watches his clips on YouTube. I said: ‘If you go out with Mbappé, you don’t look at me in the tunnel!’.

Kieran Trippier will take on French superstar Kylian Mbappe at St James’ Park

When the Trippier boy walks out with Mbappe, he will be holding a gloved hand. The French superstar was just minutes into training at St James’ last night when he called for a member of staff to bring him some gloves. To be clear, it was 13 degrees Celsius on Tyneside, the temperature at which most Geordies remove layers and not add them. When Mail Sport posted a video of the moment he asked for his mittens, one user replied: ‘Trippier 1 Mbappe 0’.

Their match is a fascinating follow-up to the showpieces of this week’s Champions League group matches. Right back versus left winger. The best of Newcastle against the best of Paris Saint-Germain. It is the place where the game can be won and lost.

During the earlier barrage of questions – watched in the media room by former Newcastle and PSG stars David Ginola and Laurent Robert, a few more useful lefties – Trippier handled the interrogation as skillfully as he hoped to handle Mbappe.

“For me personally, it is a challenge that I am ready for,” said the 33-year-old, nine years older than Mbappé. ‘I have played against many good wingers in my career. This game is no different. The Champions League is where I want to play, and you’re playing against the best wingers in the world.’

Trippier’s son is a super fan of Mbappé and hopes to go out with his idol tomorrow evening

What about the fact that he’s the very best in the world?

“Yes, I think he is certainly one of the best players in the world,” replied Trippier, unwilling to grant his rival such an exalted status on his own.

“He’s been incredible the last few years. But as we do every match, if it’s Burnley, Paris or West Ham on Sunday, we always prepare for how to win the match and how we can hurt the position. This is no different.’

There will also be no special plan reserved for Mbappé. At least that was the official line last night.

“I don’t believe in man-to-man marking, that’s not going to happen,” Howe said. “It will be around our units wiping out space and trying to keep probably the best player in the world quiet.”

To win, however, Howe has warned his players of the level they must reach. “We have to be perfect,” he announced.

Trippier and Co. hope to record their first European win after drawing 0-0 against AC Milan last time out

They were not perfect in Milan a fortnight ago, escaping with a point despite 26 shots. But Newcastle have won three in the Premier League since then and with St James’ set to play here again for their first Champions League match in 20 years, PSG boss Luis Enrique sounded an anxious tone.

“They are the team from pot four that no one wanted,” said the Spaniard. ‘We know they play at a very high level. They are good in possession of the ball, but they also play with a lot of pressure off the ball. It’s actually almost a complete football team.’

Enrique played and scored for Barcelona in the first ever Champions League match at St James’ in 1997, when Tino Asprilla scored a famous hat-trick in a 3-2 win for the hosts.

“It wasn’t easy then – and I don’t think it will be easy tomorrow,” Enrique said. ‘It’s a hostile atmosphere, but hostile from a sporting point of view.

“It’s a spectacular place to play and it will be interesting to see how my players cope with playing at St James’ Park. I’m jealous of them because they get to experience it for themselves on the field.’

There were some doubts about Mbappe’s fitness last week, but when Enrique was asked if he was ‘100 per cent’ he decided to make the UEFA translators redundant. ‘Si. Oui. Yes,’ he replied.

Fit he may be, but ready for Trippier and an icy Geordie welcome? He needs more than gloves for that.