Game On! Newcastle v QPR
Game On at St James' Park Newcastle take on QPR this afternoon in what could tentatively be described as one of those "relegation battle six-pointer" affairs at St James' Park.
It's also our last home game of 2012 and with Christmas just around the corner the fans attending St James' Park this afternoon will undoubtedly want to be sent home happy ahead of trips to Manchester United and Arsenal which conclude our festive fixture list.
The need for three points couldn't be greater, but it's a need both sides have as league position isn't looking pretty for either club right now. Newcastle currently sit 15th but could drop to 17th if results go the wrong way, whilst QPR could end up bottom of the league should they suffer defeat this afternoon and should Reading manage to pull of what would be a surprise result against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
The importance of this game has been described in great detail in many places so I wont go into it too much more. My match preview, which you can view here, is one of said places but that isn't all it includes. You can get yourself up to speed with all the injury news ahead of the match, take in some fun facts and have a trip down memory lane all in one place.
Being a 3pm kick-off on a Saturday means that unfortunately the game isn't being broadcast live here in the UK. However there are a number of overseas broadcasters who are showing the match so hopefully, if you can't get to the match itself, you can join us on here and watch it online. Normal rules apply so if you find a stream please feel free to leave a link to it in the 'comments' section below.
Which just about wraps this up. Team news will be published in full below as and when it becomes available. It's my last day in the UK before heading to Europe to work over Christmas, missing my boys first Christmas in the process. I'm pretty pi**ed off about it in truth but a win would be a decent way to put a smile on my face, at least for a day.
Howay the lads!
Newcastle: Tim Krul, Danny Simpson, Mike Williamson, Fabricio Coloccini, Davide Santon; James Perch, Cheik Tiote, Vurnon Anita; Papiss Cisse, Demba Ba, Jonas Gutierrez
Subs: Steve Harper, Shane Ferguson, Gael Bigirimana, Sylvain Marveaux, Gabriel Obertan, Sammy Ameobi, Shola Ameobi
QPR: Robert Green; Fabio Da Silva, Anton Ferdinand, Clint Hill, Ryan Nelsen; Jamie Mackie, Esteban Granero, Stephane Mbia, Alejandro Faurlin, Adel Taarabt; Djibril Cisse
Subs: Brian Murphy, Samba Diakite, Armand Traore, Nedum Onuoha, Shaun Derry, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Junior Hoilett