NEWCASTLE will have to break an unwanted French connection if they are to book their place in the knock-out phase of the UEFA Cup by beating Group D opponents Sochaux tonight.

Graeme Souness' side travel to the Stade Auguste Bonal hoping to make history, as no Newcastle side has ever won a competitive game on French soil.

The club's first attempt ended in failure in 1977, when United went down 2-1 to Bastia before also losing the subsequent home leg on Tyneside.

Things improved marginally 20 years later, when Peter Beardsley's goal earned a 1-1 draw in Metz that was ultimately enough to secure progression to the last eight of the UEFA Cup.

That win counted for little the following month though, when Newcastle lost 3-0 to a Thierry Henry-inspired Monaco to crash out of the competition.

The club's next cross-Channel trip came in 2001's Intertoto Cup, when a goalless draw in Troyes preceded one of the strangest games in Newcastle's European history - a 4-4 draw at St James' Park.

And the most disappointing game of all came in May when a tame 2-0 surrender in Marseille saw the Magpies miss out on a UEFA Cup final appearance against Valencia.

Sochaux will be hoping to extend United's winless run to six this evening and, while Guy Lacombe's side might not be one of France's most famous, they are currently the country's most in-form.

Formed in 1928 by Jean-Pierre Peugeot, the head of the French car company, Les Lionceaux are enjoying one of their best ever starts to a season.

Last weekend's 3-1 win in Monaco took Sochaux to third place in Ligue One, and extended the club's unbeaten run to 11 games.

Much of the club's success has been built on youth, with Lacombe continuing the work that saw him bring through the likes of Zinedine Zidane, Patrick Vieira and Johan Micoud during his time at Cannes.

Midfielder Wilson Oruma has emerged as one of Sochaux's leading lights and the Nigerian international, who was on target in Monaco on Saturday, insists his team-mates will not be overawed by Newcastle's star names.

"Yes, we will be playing Newcastle," said Oruma. "But the big names mean nothing to us and we don't fear Newcastle. The only thing that matters is the actual game on the pitch.

"It is never easy to play against an English team, but I have a good feeling about this, especially after scoring the goal at Monaco."

United will also have to be wary of teenage prodigy Jeremy Menez, a lively attacker who was targeted by Manchester United last summer.

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