Bellamy will keep his cool, insists Robson

NEWCASTLE boss Bobby Robson has put striker Craig Bellamy on red alert as he prepares to make Inter Milan pay for his Champions League misery.

The 23-year-old Welshman returns from suspension against the Italians at the San Siro tonight after completing the three-match ban he picked up for kicking out at Inter defender Marco Materazzi when the sides met at St James' Park in November.

A 4-1 defeat that night and the games he missed as a result of his indiscretion have piled the pressure on Newcastle as they attempt to fight their way out of Group A, and only victory here tonight will keep their dreams alive.

But despite the problems Bellamy has had so far he also sat out three games in the first phase after being convicted on video evidence of butting Dynamo Kiev defender Tiberiu Ghioane Robson insists his temperament is not a concern.

"He's already been dismissed twice in the Champions League this season, which is twice two many as far as I'm concerned," said Robson.

"He plays for Wales; he's a big international player and he's subject to that sort of pressure in those games as well and by now he should be becoming more experienced and more learned about it.

"But it doesn't worry me. We're always trying to sedate Craig in a professional way. But we don't want to take too much away from him because the boy is a winner and you have to have winners, whether it's in tennis or in boxing or in wrestling.

Newcastle captain Alan Shearer also had to miss two Champions League games after video evidence was used to charge him with elbowing Inter defender Fabio Canavaro. But Robson, who led training at the San Siro last night, is confident his players have become more streetwise since they launched their European campaign and will deal with whatever Hector Cuper's side throw at them.

"We've been talking about intimidation and being provoked and things like that but I don't think we're interested in that, to be honest," said the Newcastle boss.

"We've come here to play a high-level game of football, to compete and play in good sportsmanship.

"My players are told that red cards are for mugs. We want it to be a brilliant European occasion.

We're going to try to win it, and I know that Inter Milan will try not to lose it."

Inter need a win to reach the quarter-finals with a match to spare.

"We are aware that one result would be terrible, while with another one we will have achieved our objective," said Inter coach Hector Cuper.

"In the case of a draw, all will be decided in the last match, but we have to think of a victory."

Newcastle were defeated by Inter and Barca in their opening two matches of the second stage, but then recorded back-to-back victories over Bayer Leverkusen to get back into contention.

Cuper will not be able to call on the services of Uruguay striker Alvaro Recoba who scored Inter's goals in Saturday's 2-1 victory against Bologna, a result which kept them second in Serie A, three points behind Juventus.

Recoba pays the price for a stamp on Carles Puyol of Barcelona which earned him a three-match ban, but is confident he will return in the knockout stages when that penalty is purged.

However, Cuper will field Serie A's top goalscorer Christian Vieri, who has accumulated 21 goals in 18 league appearances. Although Vieri has failed to score this season in the Champions League, he aims to open his European tally tonight.

"Vieri will be Inter's reference in attack but all the team will attack," said Cuper. In the absence of Recoba, Mohamed Kallon, Gabriel Batistuta and Hernan Crespo, Turkey's Emre Belozoglu is set to support Vieri in attack, playing just behind the Italian international.

And with Marco Materazzi injured, Fabio Cannavaro and Ivan Cordoba are likely to feature at the heart of the Inter defence.