SOCCER: Inter Milan v Newcastle: Newcastle United's season has mushroomed so much that on at least three occasions in the past seven months either the chairman Freddie Shepherd or the manager Bobby Robson has described an upcoming fixture as the most important in the club's recent history.
It happened before the Champions League qualifier against Zeljeznicar in Sarajevo last August. It happened before Feyenoord in Rotterdam in November. It happened before Chelsea visited St James' Park 10 days ago.
Now it has happened again. A Newcastle win tonight at the San Siro against Internazionale - and they must win to qualify - would alter the shape of Group C so much that Newcastle would be staring at a place in the last eight of the European Cup.
As Robson said: "A win would be our greatest victory on foreign soil." It was in June 1969 when Newcastle beat Ujpest Dozsa 3-2 in Budapest to clinch the Fairs Cup that they last could make such a claim, but as Robson pointed out professional football has changed out of all recognition since then.
The past does not matter to Robson - not even Inter's 4-1 win at St James' in November when Craig Bellamy was sent off after six minutes - and tonight Robson will send out a starting XI all born after that 1969 triumph.
It is a young team but as the manager said: "You've got to try and convince players that they are good enough and can do it. Age doesn't matter. It's a question of whether you're good enough." It is also a question of the opposition.
Inter will welcome back their key striker Christian Vieri tonight after he was rested for the Serie A game at Bologna on Saturday. Vieri has scored 21 goals this season. But the Inter coach Hector Cuper will simultaneously be saying farewell to the man who got Bellamy dismissed in November, Marco Materazzi. The centre-back, formerly of Everton, is just one of a team's worth of players unavailable to Cuper because of injury, suspension or ineligibility.
Four of them are forwards: Gabriel Batistuta is ineligible; Hernan Crespo and Mohamed Kallon are injured; and Alvaro Recoba is suspended. In midfield Inter have lost Cristiano Zanetti with hamstring trouble and is replaced by Andres Guglielminpietro.
Up front, it means ever-greater pressure on Vieri, whose last goal in Europe came here against Ipswich Town 14 months ago in the UEFA Cup. Mind you, Vieri got a hat-trick that night. Titus Bramble, an Ipswich defender then, said yesterday: "I have had nightmares about the last time," said the 21-year-old of the 4-1 defeat at the San Siro. "I think I must be haunted by Vieri. But I am looking forward to getting back there and putting it right." Shay Given will play tonight with a dislocated little finger, saying he is untroubled by the injury.
Newcastle have hope.
INTER (possible): Toldo; J Zanetti, Cordoba, Cannavaro, Coco; Conceicao, Di Biagio, Guglielminpietro, Okan; Martins, Vieri.
NEWCASTLE (possible): Given; Hughes, O'Brien, Bramble, Bernard; Jenas, Dyer, Speed, Robert; Shearer, Bellamy.
Guardian Service
