Newcastle United welcome Stoke City to St James' Park in the Premier League on Boxing Day, looking to clinch all three points and continue their push for European action next season.
The Toon have been on a good run since the end of October, and have now won six of their last eight games in the league, which include victories over title contenders Chelsea, Manchester United, and top four hopefuls Tottenham Hotspur.
Alan Pardew's men have gradually risen to sixth in the Premier League table, and are just six points behind league leaders Liverpool. Also, Newcastle enter this tie on the back of an impressive 3-0 win at Crystal Palace at the weekend.
Meanwhile, Stoke, who were battling relegation till a few weeks ago, currently find themselves in the top half of the table, courtesy of a four-game unbeaten streak in the league, which include a thrilling 3-2 win over Chelsea at the Britannia earlier this month.
Mark Hughes's side are gradually building some momentum, having lost only once in their last eight league matches. However, the Potters away form is still poor with no wins in their last six games on the road.
Team News
Newcastle: Out - Tiote (suspended), Gutierrez (calf), R Taylor (knee)
Stoke: Out - Huth (knee)
Where to Watch Live
The game is scheduled for an 8.30pm IST start on Thursday night, with no live coverage in India. But you can also catch all the action live online by clicking HERE. US viewers click HERE. To catch the action in Australia, click HERE. To live stream the match in the Middle East and North Africa, click HERE.
Expected lineups: Newcastle - Krul; Debuchy, Williamson, Coloccini, Santon; Sissoko, Anita, Cabaye, Gouffran; Shola Ameobi, Remy
Stoke - Begovic; Cameron, Shawcross, Wilson, Pieters; Whelan, N'Zonzi; Walters, Arnautovic, Assaidi; Crouch
Prediction: 2-1 to Newcastle
