Newcastle United will be hoping to exact some revenge on rivals Sunderland when they meet in the second Tyne-Wear derby of the season at St James' Park on Saturday.
Gus Poyet picked up his first win as Black Cats boss back in October when they beat the Magpies 2-1 at the Stadium of Light.
Fabio Borini and Steven Fletcher were both on the scoresheet that day and are likely to be paired up front by Poyet this weekend, but it is Adam Johnson's goals that are firing them away from trouble.
The Sunderland-born winger has found the net five times in his last three Premier League games, helping his side move out of the relegation zone for the first time since August.
New signing Ignacio Scocco, who joined from Internacional for an undisclosed fee on Thursday, is likely to be named on the bench alongside fellow Argentine January arrivals Oscar Ustari and Santiago Vergini.
Two men who have been linked with moves away from Sunderland before Friday's transfer deadline are Lee Cattermole and Phil Bardsley, and while the former is expected to miss out with a knock, Poyet is unlikely to want to lose Bardsley and therefore he should start at right-back against Newcastle.
Alan Pardew begins life after Yohan Cabaye, who finalised his move to Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, without a couple of his other influential French attackers, Loic Remy and Hatem Ben Arfa.
Top goalscorer Remy is suspended after the appeal to overturn his red card against Norwich was turned down, while Ben Arfa limped off against the Canaries with what appeared to be a groin strain.
Pardew has also ruled out throwing loan recruit Luuk De Jong into the Tyne-Wear fire, but one piece of good news for the Magpies boss is that Les Bleus star Yoan Gouffran, who has scored six top-flight goals this term, should be available to feature in a forward line that may include both Ameobi brothers.
Recent form
Newcastle: DWLLLL
Sunderland: WWLDWW
Possible starting lineups
Newcastle: Krul; Debuchy, Taylor, Williamson, Santon; Tiote, Anita, Sissoko; Sammy Ameboi, Gouffran, Shola Ameobi
Sunderland: Mannone; Bardsley, O'Shea, Brown, Alonso; Larsson, Ki, Colback, Johnson; Fletcher, Borini
Sports Mole says: 1-2
Joe Fish
