NEWCASTLE United are confident they will be able to make their eagerly-awaited European return at St James' Park despite a potential clash with the Olympic football tournament.

The Magpies will return to European competition for the first time in six seasons later this summer as they are now guaranteed to finish in a top-six position.

However, depending on where they end up, they could be forced to play a Europa League preliminary-round fixture in the first week of August, while their own ground is being used to stage matches as part of the Olympic Games.

Newcastle officials have been aware of the potential clash for a number of weeks, and are understood to have held informal discussions with senior figures at UEFA.

And while the exact details will not be agreed until the European picture becomes completely clear at the end of the season, the Magpies hierarchy are confident they will be able to switch a preliminary-round home tie to a date that enables them to stage the game at St James'.

The situation will be eased considerably if Newcastle qualify for the Champions League, as English teams do not enter that competition until the end of August at the earliest.

Finish third, and the Magpies will gain direct access to the group stages of the Champions League. Finish fourth, and they will have to negotiate a two-legged play-off that begins on August 21-22, well after the Olympics have finished.

However, things become more complicated if Newcastle qualify for the Europa League, particularly if they do so by finishing in sixth position.

A fifth-place finish will mean a final play-off round beginning on August 23, but a sixth-place finish will mean entering the tournament at the third-qualifying round stage if Liverpool win the FA Cup.

At the moment, Liverpool, as Carling Cup winners, are the lowest-ranked of England's likely Europa League entrants, but they will leap to the top of the pecking order if they beat Chelsea in next month's FA Cup final.

If Newcastle were then to finish below Chelsea in sixth, they would be forced to play in the third-preliminary round of the Europa League on August 2 and 9.

A home draw in the first leg would clash with the Olympic programme as St James' is due to host a women's quarter-final on August 3 and a men's last-eight game on August 4.

It had been feared that such a scenario would force Newcastle to play away from Tyneside, with Middlesbrough's Riverside Stadium, Darlington's Northern Echo Arena and even Sunderland's Stadium of Light mentioned as potential alternatives.

However, senior Newcastle sources have played down such concerns and expressed confidence that UEFA would allow the club to switch the order of their games so that the home tie would take place on August 9, the week after LOCOG's temporary lease of St James' has expired.

Newcastle's pre-season schedule is dependent on the extent of their European commitments prior to the start of the season, but the club remain keen to take part in an overseas tour if at all possible.

Alan Pardew has talked up the importance of last summer's pre-season in terms of bedding in new signings, and the Magpies manager hopes to have at least two new faces in place before training resumes in July.

Erik Pieters remains one of his leading targets, and the Dutch full-back has expressed a strong desire to move to the Premier League once the transfer window reopens.

Newcastle scouts have watched Pieters on a number of occasions, and Pardew is especially impressed with the Dutch international's capability to switch between left-back and centre-half, two positions where the Magpies are currently short of options.

Having injured his foot last week, Pieters might already have played his final game for PSV Eindhoven as he is unlikely to feature in the final weeks of the Eredivisie campaign.

He is facing a race against time to prove his fitness for the European Championships, and Newcastle could opt to make a move before the Dutch squad assemble at a pre-tournament training camp at the end of next month.

Landing the likes of Pieters and Douglas, another Dutch-based defender currently interesting Newcastle, will be easier if the club can offer Champions League football.

Saturday's 3-0 win over Stoke took United three points clear of fifth-placed Tottenham, and with four games to go, Yohan Cabaye is targeting a top-four finish.

"Now this team has four games left, and each one is very important for us," said the French midfielder. "We aim to stay in the race for the Champions League."