LONDON (SE) - Alan Pardew will be looking for his Newcastle side to bounce back from what has been a traumatic week for the Magpies and their supporters when they take on West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns on Saturday.
Newcastle suffered a humbling 3-0 defeat by Sunderland at St James' Park last weekend in the Tyne-Wear derby and have since hit by devastating injury news concerning two key players.
Goalkeeper Tim Krul is to undergo surgery on Monday after dislocating his shoulder against Sunderland, while defender Ryan Taylor could miss the whole of next season after re-tearing his knee ligament after returning to training.
"Ryan has worked so hard and diligently," said Newcastle boss Pardew. "Clearly everyone at the club is deeply saddened by this news.
"Ryan has been a model patient and has given his all to ensure he could return to full training in the best condition possible," added Pardew. "Ryan has, and will continue to, receive the full support of everyone at Newcastle United during this difficult time for him."
Newcastle (10-6-17) are in 13th place in the Premier League table and five points clear of the drop zone with five matches to play and probably need at least another victory to avoid being dragged into a late season relegation dogfight.
Pardew is concerned that some of his players may be burned out in the final weeks of the season after tough Premier League and Europa League campaigns, primarily French playmaker Yohan Cabaye.
"Cabaye is probably my biggest worry," Pardew said. "The rest of them are really sound physically and mentally. But Cabaye is our best player in terms of intelligence on the pitch and he needs to play. That's why he has played almost every minute."
West Brom (13-5-14) lost their last two Premier League matches but are safely positioned in eighth place - 13 points above the relegation places.
Baggies boss Steve Clarke insists he would jump at the chance of leading his side into Europe.
"If you have a chance to qualify for the Europa League then that's what you should do and you should take your chances, like Newcastle did," Clarke told reporters. "I've got some friends still at Newcastle and I know they enjoyed their Europa League adventure.
"They enjoyed the trips, enjoyed the games and enjoyed the different challenges against different players from different countries"
Papiss Cisse scored a stoppage-time winner with a lucky deflection when Newcastle beat West Brom 2-1 in this season's reverse fixture at St James' Park in October. Demba Ba gave the Magpies a half-time lead before Romelu Lukaku equalised with a header.
The Baggies home form has slipped drastically, losing three of their last six at The Hawthorns. Newcastle's road form has been consistently poor, with just one win in 16 away league matches.
In the 121 all-time meetings between these sides in all competitions, West Brom have claimed 46 victories, while Newcastle have 44. There have been 31 draws, and the aggregate score is West Brom 205, Newcastle 205.
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