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Pardew Confident Of Pair's Fitness
Written by Newcastle Utd
Alan Pardew is confident Papiss Cisse and Cheick Tiote will return from international duty fully fit
By Tom Easterby
Papiss Cisse and Cheick Tiote will return from international duty on Friday, with Alan Pardew confirming neither look have suffered any ill effects from their exertions in Africa.
Four-goal leading scorer Cisse's Senegal were beaten 1-0 by Tunisia on Wednesday while Tiote's Ivory Coast lost 4-3 to Congo, both in Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Newcastle United boss Pardew admitted the fortnight's break for international fixtures can sometimes be a worrying time but is thankful none of his first team stars have returned injured ahead of Saturday's Barclays Premier League fixture against Leicester.
"You kind of look at your phone and hope that no messages come through that are negative, but I think we've been lucky this time," he revealed.
"The two boys who have travelled to Africa are not back yet but reports are they are well, so I'm pleased about that, particularly for Cheick because he had a tough game.
"They (Ivory Coast) went down to ten men for, I think, the whole of the second half so we'll probably have to be careful with him on Friday."
Cisse, meanwhile, has bagged braces against Hull City and Swansea City this season, and Pardew spoke of the importance of his number nine returning to both fitness and form.
"He looks rejuvenated," said the manager, of his star striker.
"I said after the Swansea game you could see a bit more enthusiasm in him, maybe because he's injury free and perhaps he feels a bit more free.
"The two goals at Swansea were quality - especially the first one - and it's that quality we've been missing really, so it's very important that he scores goals for us all year."
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