No Ben Arfa for Magpies

Newcastle boss Alan Pardew has resisted the temptation to throw Hatem Ben Arfa back into Europa League action in Kharkiv tomorrow night.

The French midfielder, who has been sidelined since December by a hamstring injury, is back in training, but Pardew has always had Sunday’s Barclays Premier League clash with Southampton, rather than the second leg of the Magpies’ European tie with Metalist Kharkiv, in mind.