NEWCASTLE will be meeting some "old friends" when they take on Sporting Lisbon in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup next month - but chairman Freddy Shepherd has confirmed Hugo Viana will not be amongst them.

The Magpies have already met the Portuguese side twice this season - in the final of the pre-season NewcastleGateshead Cup and the group phase of the UEFA Cup - and failed to win either game.

But, after yesterday's draw in Switzerland ensured the two sides will square up twice more, Shepherd has ruled out the possibility of one of Newcastle's own players scuppering their silverware bid.

United will play the first leg on Tyneside on Thursday, April 7, before travelling to Lisbon's Jose Alvalade Stadium - the ground that will also host the final - seven days later.

The terms of Viana's season-long loan ruled him out of December's group game between the two sides, but Sporting officials had hoped to overturn the ruling ahead of the quarter-final clash.

That will not happen and, after watching his side struggle to overcome their Portuguese opponents twice this season, Shepherd is hoping it is a case of third time lucky next month.

"The phone rang straight away and it was Sporting asking if they could play Hugo," said the United chief. "We politely declined.

"But we look forward to welcoming back our friends from Sporting as we've played them twice already this season. They won in pre-season and we drew in the UEFA Cup, so maybe it's our turn now."

With the likes of Auxerre and Austria Vienna still in the competition, the draw could have been kinder to a Newcastle side who boast the only unbeaten record in this season's UEFA Cup.

A win over Sporting would earn a semi-final clash with either AZ Alkmaar - currently second in the Dutch league - or the winner of the only remaining last 16 tie between Villarreal and Steaua Bucharest.

Graeme Souness would have been hoping for better but, after experiencing Portuguese football at first hand during a spell in charge of Benfica, the Magpies manager is confident of progressing to the final four.

"I'm not at all disappointed with the draw," he claimed. "The first game between us earlier in the season won't influence things at all.

"It will be two difficult games for both teams. I know all about Portuguese football from my time with Benfica and I think we have a very good chance.

"I'm looking forward to going back - there's a lot of rivalry between Benfica and Sporting, Lisbon is a fabulous place, and they love their football - and I'm sure we'll get a nice warm welcome out there."

With Newcastle playing the opening leg at home, the trip to Lisbon will come just three days before the FA Cup semi-final with Manchester United.

That spell will make or break the season but, rather than complaining about fixture congestion, Alan Shearer is relishing the challenge of back-to-back big games.

"We have to play in Lisbon and then in Cardiff," said the Newcastle skipper, who was injured when the two sides met in December. "But I would rather play two big games than train.

"Nothing is ever easy and it promises to be a cracking tie, but it's one we are confident we can win.

"We will have to show them respect because, technically, they are very good. While everyone thinks it is tough for us, we will make certain it is even more so for them."

Sporting showed they can handle English opposition in the last round as a 3-2 win at the Riverside paved the way for a 4-2 aggregate win over Middlesbrough.

Jose Peseiro was delighted with the way his side dealt with Newcastle's North-East rivals, but the Sporting coach has admitted that facing the Magpies is a far tougher task.

"If there is one team we would have preferred to have avoided at this stage, it would have been Newcastle," he said.

"When we played there in the group phase of this competition, nothing was really riding on the game. We drew 1-1 but the whole thing was a little bit of an anti-climax because we both knew we were through.

"That is not the case this time and I think things will be totally different. It will be a much more passionate experience.

"We expect to play against a massively improved Newcastle this time around. They are playing well at the moment - their results against Olympiacos were impressive - and we know we are in for a tough game."

l UEFA Cup Quarter-Finals:

1. Steaua Bucharest/Villarreal vs AZ Alkmaar

2. CSKA Moscow vs Auxerre

3. Newcastle vs Sporting Lisbon

4. Austria Vienna vs Parma

Semi-Finals: QF 4 v QF 2, QF 3 v QF 1