Newcastle v West Brom Premiership Preview: Butt & Owen Missing For Magpies – Meite Out For Baggies

Newcastle United take on Tony Mowbray’s West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League at St James’ Park on Tuesday.

Interim Magpies manager Joe Kinnear is still without a win since taken over from Kevin Keegan at Newcastle, with United second from bottom in the Premiership and coming into this game with West Brom on the back of a 2-1 defeat in the North East derby to Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Saturday. Newcastle have just six points from their nine matches so far this season and need a much needed victory against the Midlands side to pull out of the relegation zone on Tuesday.

The Baggies make the trip to St James’ Park also on a bad run, with Mowbray’s side conceding seven goals in the last two games with no reply. Losing 4-0 to Manchester United at Old Trafford and then 3-0 at the Hawthorns to Premier League surprise package Hull City on Saturday. However, West Brom are 13th in the table and their only away defeat this season has been at the hands of European Champions, United.

The Newcastle United treatment room is the busiest in the Premiership, with Nicky Butt (ankle), Michael Owen (groin), Ignacio Gonzalez (achilles), Alan Smith (achilles) and Australian International Mark Viduka (achilles) all to miss the visit of West Brom. Obafemi Martins and Shola Ameobi are likely to start up front, with Argentine Fabricio Coloccini certain to start this must win game for the Magpies.

Mowbray will still be missing Hawthorns veteran Neil Clement (knee), with Abdoulaye Meite (calf) and Kim Do-Heon (knee) also missing for the trip to the North East. The Baggies boss may decide to play with one up front against Newcastle, with the dilemma of whether to choose Ishmael Miller or Roman Bednar for the lone striker role.

Newcastle United: (from) Given, Enrique, Taylor, Cacapa, Coloccini, Xisco, Duff, N’Zogbia, Martins, Guteirrez, Barton, Bassong, Geremi, Beye, Ameobi, Kadar, Edgar, Tozer, Carroll, Harper, Krul, Morris, LuaLua, Soderberg

West Bromwich Albion: (from) Carson, Hoefkens, Robinson, Cech, Barnett, Koren, Greening, Bednar, Miller, Brunt, MacDonald, Moore, Dorrans, Pele, Kiely, Teixeira, Slusarski, Zuiverloon, Martis, Olsson, Morrison, Valero, Donk