TIM Krul and Fabricio Coloccini both have a chance of being available for the first leg of Newcastle United's Europa League quarter-final with Benfica.

The pair are due to step up their training programme before the end of the week, which would potentially enable them to be involved in the last-eight game in Benfica's Stadium of Light a week on Thursday.

Krul damaged his ankle ligaments in the first leg of Newcastle's Europa League win over Metalist Kharkiv last month.

He has dispensed with the cast that had been protecting his foot, and returned to light training with the Magpies' non-international players yesterday.

Krul tweeted: "Completed my first full training session today with the lads. Buzzing to be back on the pitch. Proper freezing out there."

The Dutchman, who was forced to pull out of his national side's double-header with Estonia and Romania, is due to increase his training schedule before the weekend.

He will not be involved in Saturday's Premier League trip to Manchester City, with Rob Elliot expected to remain between the sticks, but could come into the reckoning for the trip to Lisbon.

The same is true of Coloccini, who is due to fly back into England today after a period of rehabilitation in his native Argentina.

Coloccini, who was photographed at a San Lorenzo game over the weekend, injured his back while attempting an overhead clearance in last month's 4-2 win over Southampton.

Scans revealed two broken bones, and with Coloccini expected to push for a return to his homeland in the summer, it had initially been feared the skipper might have played his final game in a black-and-white shirt.

Senior club sources have been at pains to insist that is not the case, and Coloccini's return to Tyneside will provide a timely boost as Newcastle gear up for a two-week spell that is likely to define their season.

The two legs of the quarter-final sandwich a home game with Fulham, before Sunderland visit St James' Park seven days after the Cottagers.

The Tyne-Wear derby could have major repercussions in terms of both North-East sides' battles against the drop, and James Perch is confident Newcastle's legion of French signings will be ready for one of the most intense atmospheres in English football.

Mathieu Debuchy, Moussa Sissoko and Yoan Gouffran are all expected to start against Sunderland, and the trio will be given a crash-course in what to expect.

"We will make sure they 'get it'," said Perch. "It would be daft of us to let them to go into it not knowing what the games are all about. The staff and manager will let them know the importance of it and what it's all about.

"They've played in derbies, but I don't think it will be the same. This is unique. I have played in the Nottingham Forest vs Notts County derby game, which is big in that part of the Midlands, but it doesn't get anywhere close to this one.

"They aren't stupid, they are experienced players so they know what rivalries are all about, but sometimes you just need to be given advice and things to look out for.

"The management here have always done that really well - they've prepared us brilliantly for these derby games and they'll do it again."