Boss Boosted By Fab Four's Fitness

By Dan King - Newcastle United Club Reporter

All season long, Newcastle have suffered rotten luck with injuries but Alan Pardew finally had some good news to report ahead of Saturday's game against Liverpool.

The United boss expects to have Cheick Tiote available, while he feels Hatem Ben Arfa is getting fitter all the time. And although Fabricio Coloccini is likely to just miss out against the Reds, the Club captain is also closing in on a return.  

A positive Pardew, who took training at St. James' Park on Thursday morning, also reassured supporters that Papiss Cisse is fully fit ahead of the visit of Brendan Rodgers' side.

Coloccini hasn't played since February's win over Southampton but the Magpies manager said: "Colo has missed seven weeks but has trained for two days and it bodes well that he looks so well.

"It goes to show the conditioning of the player and the attitude of the player that he is in such good shape. I'm not sure he's in my thinking for Saturday to start but he is in my thinking between now and the end of the season, for sure.

"And Tiote has trained. He's trained for three days and he looks in good shape if we decide to use him."

Since recovering from a hamstring injury, Ben Arfa has made three cameo appearances from the bench but Pardew hinted that the Frenchman could play from the start against Liverpool.

"Every day he's getting closer," Pardew said. "He's worked a lot better this week and we're hopeful that he's going to make more of an impact, whether he starts or whether he comes off the bench, than he has in previous games."

Cisse, meanwhile, has shown no signs of injury in training over the last few days and Pardew said: "I don't know where that rumour came from. He's trained all week and has trained all week well."

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