England defender Sol Campbell is expected to make his Newcastle debut in tomorrow night's Carling Cup third-round trip to Chelsea.
The 36-year-old is likely to be included as manager Chris Hughton uses the depth of his squad at Stamford Bridge.
Tim Krul will start in goal with Steve Harper facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines with a shoulder ligament injury, and Swedish youngster Ole Soderberg will provide the back-up.
Leon Best (ankle) returns to the squad, while Danny Simpson (also ankle) and Danny Guthrie (knee) are back in training.
Steven Taylor (shoulder) is expected to resume in three weeks' time, but Dan Gosling (knee) is still some way away.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies