Big guns set for Newcastle return

Newcastle manager Alan Pardew hopes the imminent return of Hatem Ben Arfa will help Newcastle kick-start their Premier League season.

The France international has missed the last four games with a hamstring injury but should be fit to face the Cottagers on Monday evening.

"If he is fit enough to play, it would be important because he's a good player - a great player," Pardew said.

"If there was one defender to beat and I had to choose a player to take him on beat him, it would be Hatem. That's his real strength."

Newcastle do not have a good record against Fulham at Craven Cottage, having lost on seven of their last 10 visits.

They were thumped 5-2 there last season and Pardew is well aware of the threat posed by Martin Jol's men. Newcastle are 11/1 to win 1-0, and 7/2 to keep a clean sheet. A goalless draw can be backed at 12/1.

"They are a good side and they play very, very well at home, so it's a tough encounter," said the Magpies boss.

"Last year, we probably played our best half of football in the first half. Unfortunately, the second half was probably our worst, so we are hoping we don't put in that Jekyll and Hyde performance that we did last year."

Pardew could welcome back a number of key players, as well as Ben Arfa, as he looks to build on last week's 3-0 win over Wigan, which came after four straight league defeats.

Davide Santon, Cheick Tiote, Jonas Gutierrez, Gabriel Obertan and Demba Ba are all poised to make their return to the starting line-up.

Don't forget all Premier League matches are covered by the bet365 100% Euro Soccer Bonus, where you could earn a bonus of up to 100% on your returns on pre-match accumulator bets.

View all Soccer betting