STEVEN TAYLOR has been passed fit to face Stoke City for Newcastle United tonight - but there is no place for Cheik Tiote.
Taylor has been given the go-ahead to face the Potters at the Britannia Stadium, despite fracturing his nose nine days ago, and he will partner Fabricio Coloccini at the heart of the defence.
But influential midfielder Tiote has been left on Tyneside after failing to recover from the knee injury which prevented him from facing Blackburn in the Carling Cup last week. Danny Guthrie takes his place.
STOKE CITY (4-4-2): Begovic; Wilkinson, Shawcross, Woodgate, Wilson; Pennant, Delap, Whelan, Etherington; Walters, Crouch. Subs: Sorensen (gk), Huth, Jones, Whitehead, Upson, Jerome, Palacios.
NEWCASTLE UNITED (4-4-2): Krul; Simpson, S Taylor, Coloccini, R Taylor; Obertan, Guthrie, Cabaye, Gutierrez; Best, Ba. Subs: Elliot (gk), Santon, Ben Arfa, Perch, Gosling, Marveaux, Sammy Ameobi.
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