Newcastle will welcome a number of familiar faces back to St James' Park on Sunday when fellow top-six chasers Liverpool arrive in the North East.
Kenny Dalglish, Andy Carroll and Jose Enrique are all set to take in a Premier League fixture on Tyneside for the first time since severing their respective ties with the Magpies.
Their presence will add extra spice to an occasion which already has plenty riding on it.
Newcastle head into the game sat level on points with fifth-placed Chelsea and only five adrift of the UEFA Champions League places.
Alan Pardew has been quick to play down talk of a top-four finish, but the Magpies have returned to form over recent weeks and remain very much in contention.
Their home form has helped to keep them among the frontrunners, with a six-match unbeaten run in front of their own supporters bringing four victories and two draws.
While the Magpies are flying high, Liverpool will be desperate to get their league campaign back on track this weekend.
Only rock-bottom Wolves (five) have picked up fewer points than the Reds (eight) in 2012.
They have lost five of their last six top flight fixtures, dropping them out of the race for a top-four finish, and have come unstuck in their last three on the road.
Liverpool have, however, won six of their last seven Premier League games with Newcastle and in Dirk Kuyt and Steven Gerrard boast two goal-getters who relish playing against the Magpies - with Kuyt having netted five times in seven starts and Gerrard five times in his last five appearances against the North East outfit.
Ryan Taylor and Cheick Tiote are to make welcome returns to the Newcastle side on Sunday after shaking off knocks.
Taylor has been missing for two weeks with a calf complaint, while Tiote sat out last weekend's victory over West Brom with a hamstring problem.
Club captain Fabricio Coloccini misses out, though, as he picked up a hamstring injury at The Hawthorns.
Peter Lovenkrands (thigh), Leon Best (knee), Steven Taylor (Achilles) and Sylvain Marveaux (groin) remain on the sidelines.
Liverpool midfielder Charlie Adam will miss the trip to Tyneside as he must wait a fortnight for further assessment of a knee problem.
Dalglish is hopeful some of his other players will be fit to return, however, with defenders Glen Johnson (calf), Martin Kelly (ankle) and Daniel Agger (rib) all missing for last weekend's defeat to Wigan.
Midfielder Maxi Rodriguez has recovered from the illness which kept him out of the last game but forward Craig Bellamy (calf) has missed four successive matches.
Possible starting XIs
Newcastle: Krul, Simpson, Perch, Williamson, Santon, Ben Arfa, Tiote, Cabaye, Gutierrez, Cisse, Ba.
Liverpool: Reina, Johnson, Carragher, Skrtel, Enrique, Henderson, Gerrard, Spearing, Downing, Carroll, Suarez.
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