Newcastle United travel to the Ukraine tonight to take on Metalist at the Metalist Stadium in Khrarkiv knowing a score-draw would see them through to the last sixteen of the Europa League. Kick-off is at 8pm local time (6PM GMT UK time) and some
360 away fans are believed to have bought tickets at the time of writing, with the game called a sellout after all 39,000 tickets were sold. The Magpies take a bitterly disappointing 0-o scoreline away with them after last week's goalless venture at St. James' Park was marred in controversy by two disallowed goals for Papiss Cisse, though television replays would later show that one of the two was rightly judged by the officials. United should feel like they could have had the tie sewn up in the first leg as several other chances in last week's game harmlessly went by, including further opportunities for their lead striker to give Newcastle a goal advantage in this leg. Still, the more optimistic of the Newcastle fans could view blocking Metalist an away goal as a good result and that Newcastle should have enough quality to finish the job in the Ukraine.
Team News
Alan Pardew has opted not to select Italian left-back
Davide Santon to travel with the rest of the squad. The skillful-forward thinking defender has appeared in every of Newcastle's Premier League ties this season but has been left at home nursing a slight ankle knock. January transfer window signing Massadio Haidara will be hoping Santon's absence leads to him making his Newcastle debut. Despite being back in training, Hatem Ben Arfa and Ryan Taylor did not travel.
Alan Pardew has suggested Ben Arfa will feature in the Swansea away game in a week's time rather than Sunday's home match against Southampton whilst Taylor's return date is tbc. Haris Vuckic and Sammy Ameobi also remain sidelined, whilst Mike Williamson was mysteriously not selected. Two of last month's new recruits Mathieu Debuchy and Yoan Gouffran are both ineligible to appear in the Europa League. Here's United's squad in full; Shola Ameobi, Vurnon Anita, Gael Bigirimana, Yohan Cabaye, Papiss Cisse, Fabricio Coloccini, Rob Elliot, Dan Gosling, Jonas Gutierrez, Massadio Haidara, Tim Krul, Sylvain Marveaux, Gabriel Obertan, James Perch, Danny Simpson, Moussa Sissoko, Steven Taylor, Cheick Tiote, Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa.
Predicted Line-up; Krul, Yanga-Mbiwa, S Taylor, Coloccini, Haidara, Marveaux, Cabaye, Tiote, Gutierrez, Sissoko, Cisse