Perch and Krul start for Magpies

JAMES PERCH has been preferred to Ryan Taylor to fill the right-back slot for Newcastle United against Stoke City today. Perch, who has completed a one match suspension for five yellow cards, comes in to a pretty familiar looking Magpies starting line-up. There are first St James' Park starts for Cheik Tiote and Hatem Ben Arfa, but both played their part in the win at Everton eight days ago. Dutchman Tim Krul also starts following confirmation that Steve Harper will be out for 12 weeks. Stoke City, on the other hand, include four former Sunderland players in their starting line-up, including £8m striker Kenwyne Jones. NEWCASTLE UNITED (4-2-3-1): Krul; Perch, Williamson, Coloccini, Enrique; Barton, Tiote; Routledge, Nolan, Ben Arfa; Carroll. Subs: Lovenkrands, Taylor, Smith, Gutierrez, Ameobi, Ranger, Soderberg (gk) STOKE CITY (4-4-2): Sorensen; Wilkinson, Shawcross, Huth. Collins; Whelan, Whitehead, Diao, Etherington; Walters, Jones. Subs: Begovic (gk), Higginbotham, Gudjohnsen, Fuller, Wilson, Delap, Faye.

Source: Northern_Echo