Alan Pardew: Under no illusions about the size of Newcastle's task
Newcastle and Manchester City will be aiming to bounce back from their weekend defeats when they clash in the Capital One Cup fourth-round.
The Magpies suffered a draining defeat against Sunderland in the Wear-Tyne derby on Sunday while City's hopes of building momentum after a mixed start to the campaign suffered a fresh setback as they slipped to a last-gasp loss at title-challengers Chelsea.
Newcastle boss Alan Pardew is under no illusions about the size of the task awaiting his side at St James' Park, especially having lost 4-0 to the same opponents on the opening weekend of the Premier League season.
Both clubs have been in inconsistent form with Newcastle having won five and lost four of their 11 fixtures in all competitions, while seventh-placed City will be aiming to rebuild momentum on the road after collecting just three wins from seven away games so far.
The hosts are bidding to reach the last eight of the competition for the first time since 2006, but they have not recorded a victory over their opponents since September 2005.
But with a realistic opportunity of silverware, Pardew is expected to field a strong line-up in front of an expectant home crowd.
City, meanwhile, will be looking to find form again for what will be the club's fourth away game in the space of 12 days.
The Blues hammered Wigan Athletic 5-0 in round three, while Newcastle defeated Morecambe and Leeds United to make it to this stage.
Newcastle
Pardew's hunger for a cup run will not stop him tinkering with his starting
XI. With a league match against title hopefuls Chelsea following on Saturday, he plans to freshen up his side against City.
Cheick Tiote will start as captain, just two days after being given a seven-month suspended prison sentence for possession of a fake driving licence.
Fabricio Coloccini (groin) and Steven Taylor (hamstring) are out, but Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa is available again following his one-match suspension.
Man City
Manager Manuel Pellegrini is expected to make a number of changes with Premier League and Champions League games in mind.
Under-fire goalkeeper Joe Hart is expected to be one of the players to make way while striker Stevan Jovetic, who scored twice against Wigan in round three but has not started since, is likely to get another opportunity.
English trio Micah Richards, Joleon Lescott and James Milner are also prime candidates to play. Captain Vincent Kompany (groin) remains a fitness doubt but fellow defender Martin Demichelis could continue after his debut against Chelsea.
Previous game's starting line-ups
Team taken from Newcastle United vs Sunderland (Barclays Premier League) on Sunday 27th October 2013
Team taken from Manchester City vs Chelsea (Barclays Premier League) on Sunday 27th October 2013
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