Newcastle United will be hoping to qualify for the last 16 stage of the Europa League when they take on Metalist Kharkiv in the Ukraine tonight. The fixture is a Round of 32 second leg tie, with the sides currently locked together following last week's goalless draw on Tyneside. Hatem Ben Arfa will miss Newcastle's second leg last 32 Europa League tie at Metalist Kharkiv despite having recovered from his hamstring injury.
The 25-year-old France midfielder has returned to training having been sidelined since December.
Full-back Davide Santon has been rested but January signings Massadio Haidara, Mapou Yanga Mbiwa and Moussa Sissoko are all included.
Fellow forward Shola Ameobi is confident his team-mate will find the net on Thursday.
"Papiss is pretty easy-going and he knows he is going to get chances playing in this team," said the 31-year-old."With the players he has got behind him feeding, he is going to get chances to score goals, and hopefully he can do that on Thursday.
"When he gets on a roll, there's no stopping him, so hopefully he can keep getting into those positions and he can start banging them away."
Meanwhile, Metalist Kharkiv manager Myron Markevych believes the Magpies should be in the top 10 of the Premier League.
"As I said after the first game, Newcastle are a very good team and they shouldn't be in the position they are in," he said of the 16th-placed team. "They should be in the top 10 minimum."
Probable Line Up: Metalist Kharkiv
Olexandr Goryainov; Cristian Villagra, Papa Gueye, Marco Torsiglieri, Fininho; Edmar, Juan Manuel Torres; Marlos, Cleiton Xavier, Jose Ernesto Sosa; Jonathan Cristaldo.
Probable Line Up: Newcastle.
Newcastle United: Tim Krul; Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa,Steven Taylor, Fabricio Coloccini, Davide Santon; Cheick Tiote,Yohan Cabaye; Gabriel Obertan, Moussa Sissoko, Jonas Gutierrez; Papiss Cisse
Source: DSG
