CHRIS HUGHTON will be supporting Diego Maradona tonight in the belief that World Cup qualification for Argentina will boost Newcastle United’s bid for a quick return to the Premier League.

Jonas Gutierrez is expected to play in the a winner takes all qualifier, dubbed in South America as El Gran Clasico.

If Argentina lose to Uruguay they will fail to secure the fourth and final spot that guarantees a place in next summer’s finals in South Africa. It could even see them drop below the fifthplace that would earn a playoff with the fourth best qualifiers from Central America.

More than 30,000 extra tickets for the match were sold in four hours and there will be 76,000 supporters inside the Estadio Centenario tonight, with the overwhelming majority looking for Uruguay to pip their neighbours to fourth place Hughton will be watching from home, hoping that Argentina fulfil their World Cup dreams and keep Maradona in his job.

But that is not with a view to believing the World Cup would be a poorer placer without Argentina, just a theory that Newcastle United’s Gutierrez and Fabricio Coloccini will have to keep playing well at club level to keep South Africa hopes alive.

“It would be massive for the two of them to get to the World Cup,” said Hughton yesterday. “With all players who have the possibility of playing in a World Cup, it has a major influence on their performances towards the end of the season.

“There will be a few nervy moments I’m sure on Wednesday or even further down the line, but to cement a place would help them keep playing well here.

“It would be Colo and Jonas’ first involvement in a World Cup and it would be a wonderful thing for them, so if they get the result Jonas would come back very happy.”

Coloccini has missed the last two Newcastle matches with ankle trouble sustained in the win at Ipswich last month, which also ruled him out of the vital World Cup qualifiers with Peru and Uruguay.

But he is expected to return to training tomorrow and could be in contention to play at Nottingham Forest on Saturday evening. Gutierrez is due back from international duty on Friday night.

Hughton, though, is unconcerned.

He has been extremely satisfied with the attitudes of the players since relegation from the Premier League and is of the belief that both want to help Newcastle back to the top-flight.

“They have been very good around the place and have shown a great desire to be here,” said Hughton.

“They look on being here as a great experience for them and they want to help this club to do well. The only way that can happen is by playing well and that’s how they view it.

“They have always been focused, but that’s always been the case with the players here. In some ways the players that wanted to go have gone.

“That was their prerogative, but what we have now is a group of players who want to fight for the cause and the two Argentineans wanted to stay and want to get the club back where it belongs.”

■ Shay Given, the 33-year-old former Newcastle goalkeeper will captain the Republic of Ireland against Montenegro at Croke Park tonight as he and Kevin Kilbane win their 100th senior caps.

■ A young Newcastle reserve side slipped to their second successive defeat last night as Rotherham United ran out comfortable 4-2 winners at the Don Valley Stadium.

Alan Thompson’s secondstring had relinquished their unbeaten start to the season at Middlesbrough seven days ago, but looked on course for a return to winning ways when Aaron Spear fired in on 13 minutes.

The hosts hit back, however, and restored parity through Ryan Taylor (27), before Micky Cummins (55), Paul Warne (63) and Stephen Brogan (77) made sure.

Wesley Ngo Baheng headed in late on, but United were well beaten.

Newcastle: Alnwick, Nzuzi, Tozer, Grieve, Lough, Adjei, Newton (Henderson 78), McDermott (Henderson 67), Spear (McGorrigan 73), Sammy Ameobi, Ngo Baheng.