Newcastle v Everton
Venue: St James' Park Date: Sunday, 22 February Kick-off: 1600 GMT
Newcastle will welcome back Argentine winger Jonas Gutierrez and also hope that Obafemi Martins will be ready to play some part in the game.
Martins has been out since December with a hernia problem but is in the squad with Alan Smith and Mark Viduka.
Everton will recall Jo after he was cup-tied against Aston Villa and Louis Saha may be back on the bench.
Tim Cahill and Tony Hibbert are banned, while Marouane Fellaini, Leon Osman and Steven Pienaar are out injured.
Newcastle (from): Harper, S Taylor, Bassong, Coloccini, Enrique, R Taylor, Butt, Nolan, Duff, Lovenkrands, Ameobi, Jonas, Smith, Viduka, Martins, Edgar, Forster, Cacapa, Geremi, Edgar, Donaldson.
Everton (from): Howard, Jagielka, Lescott, Yobo, Baines, Gosling, Arteta, Van der Meyde, Neville, Osman, Rodwell, Saha, Nash, Castillo, Baxter, Jacobsen.
Newcastle assistant manager Chris Hughton:
"The break has been important, you want games, but with what happened to boss Joe Kinnear it's given us breathing space to evaluate.
Hughton welcomes back key players
"We've got players back from injury and had a chance to regroup.
"Things are more stable and it's a chance for us to put some daylight between us and the relegation zone."
Everton manager David Moyes:
"Nobody will have been more frustrated than Louis Saha that he has ended up missing so many games.
"He has plenty of experience and will have realised that the injury was just one of those things. Now he has got himself back.
"He is a terrific player and has shown that throughout his career. He has got an ability to finish and score goals and hopefully he will do that for us when he returns."
Make your Premier League predictions
BIG-MATCH FACTS
Victory for Newcastle in the 150th league meeting with Everton, would see the Toffees becoming the first club in Premier League history to lose 250 matches.
The Tyneside club are still uncomfortably close to the relegation zone, while the Merseysiders are well placed for Europe.
A draw would take Newcastle's all-time Premier League points total to 900.
The Toffees have picked up nine points from their last three top-flight trips to the North-East, and have not lost in the region since their last visit to St James' Park.
Everton travel in search of their first Premier League win on Tyneside since a 0-1 triumph on 21 October 2000 when Kevin Campbell netted the winner. The Merseysiders have drawn two and lost five of their seven subsequent visits.
The 2-2 draw in the reverse fixture at Goodison on 5 October was Joe Kinnear's first in charge of the Magpies.
Distance between the clubs: 174 miles (281 kilometres)
CLUB FORM
NEWCASTLE UNITED
Club stats
Going into this round of matches: 13th 27 points
Best & Worst categories in 2008-09 Premier League
(all statistics are ahead of this weekend's round of Premier League fixtures)
1. Won one of nine in all competitions, and one of seven in the Premier League, by courtesy of a 2-3 triumph away to West Brom in their most recent match on 7 February.
2. One point down on last season, when 12th in the table.
3. Not lost a Premier League game in which they've scored first; won six and drawn three of nine.
4. Not won a top-flight match in which they've conceded the opening goal; drawn four and lost 10 of 14.
5. Only registered one victory against a top-half club; 2-0, home to Aston Villa on 3 November.
6. Only beaten Bolton, West Brom, Aston Villa and Tottenham in league games at St James' Park.
7. Drawn the last two home league matches, and lost just one of the last nine; 1-5, to Liverpool on 28 December.
8. Lost the last four Premier League games against North-West opposition, and not won in eight. Their only maximum against a club from the North-West this season was the 1-0 success, home to Bolton on 23 August.
Fixtures
EVERTON
Club stats
Going into this round of matches: 6th 40 points
Best & Worst categories in 2008-09 Premier League
(all statistics are ahead of this weekend's round of Premier League fixtures)
1. Won the last three in all competitions.
2. Lost one of 13 league and cup matches.
3. Avoided defeat in eight of nine Premier League outings.
4. Four points down on this identical juncture last season, when in the top four.
5. Scored six goals in the last two games (all competitions). The 3-0 home win over Bolton in their most recent Premier League fixture was their joint biggest win of the season. (The other was 3-0, home to Sunderland on 28 December).
6. 10 of their 34 Premier League goals have been scored in the last 10 minutes.
7. Lost the last away league game 1-0 to Manchester United on 31 January; their first loss in seven league and cup matches on the road.
8. Won six and drawn two of the last eight against North-East clubs.
9. Won their last three league trips to the North-East; 0-2 at Middlesbrough, 0-1 at Sunderland and 0-1 against Middlesbrough.
Fixtures
KEY PLAYER NOTES
NEWCASTLE UNITED
Squad profiles
Fabricio COLOCCINI is the only remaining player to have started every one of Newcastle's Premier League matches this season.
Michael OWEN is the club's top Premier League scorer with eight goals.
If selected:-
Nicky BUTT will be making his 400th career league appearance (Manchester United, Newcastle and Birmingham).
If on the field from the outset:-
BUTT will be making his 100th Premier League start in a Newcastle shirt.
EVERTON
Squad profiles
Tim HOWARD and Phil JAGIELKA are the only remaining players to have been on the field for every minute of every one of Everton's league and cup matches this season.
If selected:-
Louis SAHA will be facing a former club. The 30 year old France international made 12 appearances (11 in the league) and scored two goals (one league) when on loan to Newcastle from FC Metz between January 1999 and June 2000.
If on the field from the outset:-
Mikel ARTETA, who's lined up in all of Everton's Premier League games this season, will be making his 150th start in Toffees colours.
Suspended:-
Tony HIBBERT (one match)
Tim CAHILL (one match)
HEAD TO HEAD
Michael Owen came off the bench to head the fifth and deciding goal in last season's corresponding fixture, just nine days after undergoing hernia surgery.
There is absolutely nothing to choose between these teams. Both have won 62 of their 157 meetings in all competitions with 33 drawn. Of the 477 goals conjured up by the pair, Newcastle have scored 239 and Everton 238.
Home and away
League (inc PL): Newcastle 60 wins, Everton 57, Draws 32
Prem: Newcastle 14 wins, Everton 10, Draws 7
at Newcastle only
League (inc PL): Newcastle 41 wins, Everton 16, Draws 17
Prem: Newcastle 10 wins, Everton 2, Draws 3
LAST SEASON'S CORRESPONDING GAME
Newcastle United 3-2 Everton
7 October 2007 - Ref: Martin Atkinson
Newcastle scorers: Butt 42, Emre 86, Owen 90
Everton scorers: Johnson 53, Given 90 og
THIS SEASON'S REVERSE FIXTURE
Everton 2-2 Newcastle United
5 October 2008 - Ref: Howard Webb
Everton scorers: Arteta 17 pen, Fellaini 35
Newcastle scorers: Taylor 45, Duff 47
REFEREE
Lee Mason (Lancashire)
