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London Calling For "Calm" Colo
Written by Newcastle Utd
After a 12-game absence, Fabricio Coloccini is set to make his return at West Ham - but several of his fellow defenders are ruled out
By Dan King - Newcastle United Club Reporter
Fabricio Coloccini is set to make his long-awaited comeback at Upton Park on Saturday and Alan Pardew believes his captain's cool head could be vital in the relegation run-in.
The Argentine ace has not played since suffering a back injury against Southampton at the end of February but could come into the team for the weekend's vital visit to West Ham.
And it offers a timely boost to Pardew, who once again has to make do without several key players - particularly in defence - against Sam Allardyce's side.
Mathieu Debuchy is suspended following his red card against Liverpool while Massadio Haidara is an injury doubt and the manager said: "We have no Sylvain Marveaux, no Tim Krul and no Davide Santon, who we probably won't see this season - although Davide Santon's got a slight chance.
"Everybody else is available."
That includes Coloccini, who has missed the last 12 games with his composure and leadership sorely missed at times during that period.
"He's the captain of this Club and sadly we've missed him for a lot of the season in terms of injuries and one thing or another," Pardew said. "But he's fit and well.
"You need your leaders and you need people who are experienced.
"You can't just get carried away and think that this is a fight. This isn't a fight, it's not a boxing match - it's a game of football so you need to have a calm head and you need to play.
"And one thing that Colo obviously brings is that calmness to the team and I think that is very important where we are right now."
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