Pardew braced for step up in class

Newcastle boss Alan Pardew is ready to launch a concerted bid for Europa League glory as he gears up for their toughest test to date at St James’s Park tonight (8.05pm, live on ESPN).

An influx of French blood during the January transfer window significantly strengthened Pardew’s hand ahead of tonight’s last-32 clash with Ukrainian outfit Metalist Kharkiv, and Pardew is relishing the opportunity to finally attack the Europa League.

He said: “When we finished last year and we finished fifth (in the Premier League) and I looked at the team, we haven’t really had that team to put out at any stage of this competition.

“Now I am back to a team that’s very similar to the one I had last year in terms of strength and quality — Yohan Cabaye, Steven Taylor, Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa, Moussa Sissoko — they have strengthened our hand.

“We are obviously going up a level in terms of opposition. No disrespect to Bordeaux, who won our group, but Metalist are a little bit stronger than them and this is a huge test for us.”

Newcastle’s early exit from the FA Cup means they have no fixture this weekend and accordingly Pardew will field a side which is “the strongest it can be”.