Sunday sees Newcastle United take on Aston Villa at St. James’ Park in a 1:30pm kick-off. While Cheik Tiote is still on international duty with the Ivory Coast, the game should see the return of top scorer Demba Ba to the starting line-up. There is a possibility that we could also see Ba’s Senegal team-mate and fellow marksman Papiss Demba Cisse make his debut for the Magpies. Bearing in mind the result of this fixture last year was 6-0, what odds a goal each for the Senegalese strike duo?
Demba Ba has been talking to the Official Newcastle United website and said: “It’s great to be back with the team. I got a very nice welcome from everybody at the training ground, all the players and staff. They were happy to see me, and I was happy to see them as well. It feels like I’m at home. It’s nice to be welcomed like that by the lads, and it was good to see them again. We had a great training session on Friday and I’d love to play a part against Aston Villa on Sunday.”
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He also spoke about his new team-mate Cisse, stating: “I was very pleased when we signed him – I think he’s going to be a very good player for Newcastle. He knows how to score goals, and he’s proved that throughout his career. I would love the chance to play with him here. I’ve played with him for country and I like playing with Papiss – he’s a magnificent striker. I hope we’re going to have a good player.”
Alan Pardew may have the more preferable of selection problems on his hands come Sunday with Leon Best and Peter Lovenkrands both vying for a place in the starting eleven after playing their parts in the 2-0 win over Blackburn Rovers midweek, not to mention Shola Ameobi. It’s anyone’s guess as to who will start up-front on Sunday but my money would be on the new number nine starting alongside our top scorer. If it is the case, let’s hope that it’s the start of a beautiful striking relationship!
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