SIR Bobby Robson has admitted that his side's final chance of glory is on the line in the south of France tonight - but the Newcastle boss fully expects his players to meet their biggest challenge of the season.

The Magpies take on Marseille in the second leg of the UEFA Cup semi-final and, with United on the brink of their first European final appearance since they lifted the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1969, the stakes could not be higher.

Newcastle have already dropped out the Champions League, the FA Cup and the Carling Cup this season and, with the Premiership top three out of sight, the UEFA Cup offers the only silver lining to an otherwise frustrating campaign.

They might still be able to claim the fourth Champions League spot in the final three games of the domestic season but, for a club who have been starved of silverware for 35 years, that achievement would have nothing like the sentimental appeal of lifting a European trophy.

And, while Robson expects stiff opposition from a Marseille side who have already knocked Liverpool and Inter Milan out of this year's competition, he is confident his side can keep their European dream alive by reaching the UEFA Cup final in Gothenburg on May 19.

"This is our last chance," admitted the Newcastle boss, who steered Ipswich to glory in the same competition in 1981. "The players know that, they are not stupid, they know the situation.

"We have one chance to go through and we cannot fail. We will give it our best in every department. Commitment, courage, enthusiasm, ability, fighting right to the end - we have to do all these things.

"The fans expect us to do it and that piles the pressure on us. We know what the people want and what the people need and we will do our best to give it to them.

"A win puts us into the final of a European cup and we haven't done that for more than 30 years. The players would love to get to the final and that's what we are here to do."

Marseille are enjoying a similarly disappointing domestic campaign, with last weekend's home defeat to Metz leaving them seventh in the French league.

But they showed what they are capable of at St James' Park in the first leg, with hot-shot striker Didier Drogba troubling the United backline and going closest to breaking the deadlock with a second-half strike that rattled the inside of the post.

The Ivory Coast international will offer Marseille's most potent threat again this evening but, while Robson is aware of the French side's capabilities, he is confident that his side possesses the mental resolve to pull through.

"Marseille are a particularly fine side," he said. "They are in the semi-final of the UEFA Cup having just dismissed Liverpool and Inter Milan - both fine scalps.

"I have to be honest, we found them difficult opponents at St James' Park. To beat Marseille in Marseille we will have to be at our very best. We have to exercise all our potential and nobody can make a mistake."

Newcastle have never won a competitive game on French soil but, thanks to their clean sheet in the first leg, they might not have to break that record to stay in the competition.

A scoring draw will be enough to see Newcastle progress to the final and, with the Magpies having scored in every European away game so far this season, they will enter tonight's game in a positive frame of mind.

"If we play like we did against Chelsea we stand a great chance," said Robson, who is poised to name the side that lost at Manchester City on Saturday, although fit-again Lee Bowyer and returning Scotsman Stephen Caldwell are likely to be among the substitutes.

Marseille are set to recall Steve Marlet, their French international striker on loan from Fulham.

Read more about Newcastle United FC here.