DISGRACED pair Lee Bowyer and Kieron Dyer have avoided the axe at Newcastle United, with manager Graeme Souness insisting: "I'll pick a team capable of taking this club into the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup."

The Magpies play Portuguese giants Sporting Lisbon in the quarter-final first leg tonight knowing both Bowyer and Dyer are bracing themselves for the prospect of being vilified by the St James' Park faithful - the same crowd that witnessed the pair exchange blows on Saturday.

Dyer, despite having a three- match ban upheld by the Football Association for his sending off, continues to be exonerated from the incident by Newcastle - he is not to be fined by the club - and his inclusion in tonight's squad is less of a shock.

But Bowyer's selection is sure to have surprised the most hardened Newcastle supporter.

The midfielder was given the maximum fine of six weeks' wages - around £200,000, which is to be invested in the club's Academy - for instigating the on-field brawl.

Earlier this week chairman Freddy Shepherd had described how the former Leeds man should be on his hands and knees giving thanks for being issued a final warning and the hefty financial penalty instead of the sack.

Bowyer has started 33 of the 36 games he has been available for since Souness took over from Sir Bobby Robson in September, and the boss claims to have no reservations about including him in his 19-man squad for this evening's game.

The Newcastle boss, although disgusted and astounded by the weekend's events, believes Sporting could well be on the wrong end of a backlash from a wounded animal on Tyneside.

"Lee Bowyer is in the squad. I'm going to try to pick a team that will win us the game," said Souness, who had midfielder Nicky Butt in for treatment on a knee injury yesterday.

"In a perverted sort of way, it has made us stronger. When you experience bad things collectively, you see what certain people are made of.

"You look to the men in the group to lead the others through and we have big characters who will guide the lesser lights through. No matter how horrible it's been, this can make us better.

"All good football teams are at their most dangerous when they've been hurt. I'm fully aware of the feeling out in the city. The supporters are only interested in us winning on Thursday night."

Prior to Saturday's 3-0 defeat to Aston Villa, a devastating defeat that actually got lost in the aftermath of the Bowyer-Dyer feud, Newcastle had gone 12 matches unbeaten.

The reversal, only the second since the turn of the year, also dropped Newcastle back into the bottom half of the Premiership table and dampened prospects of climbing back into the top six before the end of the campaign.

It is a realistic view that the only way Newcastle will be playing in Europe again next season is if they win either the FA Cup of the UEFA Cup, meaning a head start against Sporting tonight is essential.

Jose Peseiro's men, who drew in the group phase at Newcastle in December, also had their problems on Saturday, when there was a 23-man fracas in the tunnel after a win over Boavista.

Sporting also had Sa Pinto and Rui Jorge sent off, with the former accused of elbowing and aiming a punch at Boavista's executive director, which could see the experienced striker given a life ban.

Souness, with a tinge of sarcasm, said: "It's been a nice, normal quiet week. It's been life at Newcastle United. We've had a difficult week, but we've got to put it behind us.

"I had a chat with the players and I said to them that if you ever need a reminder, when you think you've cracked it, about how unpredictable football is, there it was.

"We shouldn't be surprised by surprises. Everything was going really well for us, but things were self-inflicted and we've caused ourselves enormous problems.

"We can't keep talking about it. The only important thing is the future, because you get nothing for looking back in this game.

"Sporting Lisbon are a really good team, a lovely little football team and they'll make things hard for us.

"We have to go after Sporting Lisbon in a sensible, professional way. They are geared up to playing counter-attacking football. They'll have a fair amount of the ball and we'll have to be cute about how we attack them."

Newcastle have won nine of their UEFA Cup games this season, with the draw against Sporting the only blip on an otherwise flawless record.

"They have not lost at home in the competition since a defeat to Monaco eight years ago.

Souness will be aiming to extend that run without Celestine Babayaro again. Babayaro, a signing from Chelsea in January, has missed the last six games with a mystery knee injury, something that is clearly annoying his manager.

"It's frustrating, extremely frustrating," said Souness. "He is doing work at the gym, but he still says he has slight pain in his knee.

"He has had two separate scans and seen two separate specialists and they have found nothing. Ultimately there will have to be an operation, to see if we can find what's wrong."

Sporting Lisbon hold a unique place in the region's footballing folklore, asthey are the only side to have played Necastle United, Middlesbrough and Sundeland in a competiative European match. Chief Sports Writer Scott Wilson looks at the Portuguese side's previous games against sides from the North-East.

1968-69 Fairs Cup Second Round

October 30, 1968

Sporting Lisbon 1-1 Newcastle

Bobby Moncur steered Newcastle towards the third round of the Fairs Cup despite playing most of the game with a broken nose. The skipper fired his side ahead in the 31st minute, after Portuguese full-back Celestino had hit the crossbar early on. A resolute defensive display looked like earning Newcastle a valuable win until Sporting inside right Jose Marais drilled home a leveller with 30 seconds to go.

November 20, 1968

Newcastle 1-0 Sporting Lisbon

A ninth-minute volley from Pop Robson was enough to give Newcastle victory in front of 53,000 fans at St James' Park.

Wyn Davies headed Keith Dyson's cross back across the face of goal and Robson pounced to volley home from close range. Davies had a second-half strike disallowed for a foul, but United withstood late Sporting pressure to book their place in the last 16.

1973-74 European Cup Winners' Cup Second Round

October 24, 1973

Sunderland 2-1 Sporting Lisbon

Portuguese striker Yazalde scored four minutes from time to tilt the second-round tie in Sporting's direction at Roker Park.

Bobby Kerr opened the scoring in the 32nd minute - Sporting keeper Damas carrying his ferocious shot over the line - and Micky Horswill's second-half header extended Sunderland's lead.

But Yazalde nodded home from close range late on to leave Sunderland defending a slender lead in Lisbon.

November 8, 1973

Sporting Lisbon 2-0 Sunderland

Jim Montgomery might have been the hero of Sunderland's 1973 FA Cup final win, but the goalkeeper's blunder saw the Rokermen crash out of the Cup Winners' Cup.

Montgomery's 27th-minute throw out went straight to Nelson, and the Portuguese striker squared for Yazalde to score from 14 yards.

Ian Porterfield hit the post, but Sporting grabbed an all-important second 20 minutes from time when a goalmouth scramble ended in Chico stabbing home from close range.

2004-05 UEFA Cup Group Phase

December 16, 2004

Newcastle 1-1 Sporting Lisbon

With both sides already assured of their place in the UEFA Cup's knock-out phase, Sporting's visit was a rather tame affair. Craig Bellamy's arcing header gave Newcastle a fifth-minute lead after Shola Ameobi had f licked on Titus Bramble's right-wing centre.

But Sporting levelled shortly after the half-hour mark when Miguel Custodio's powerful header beat Shay Given.

2004-05 UEFA Cup

Second Knockout Round

March 10, 2005

Middlesbrough 2-3 Sporting Lisbon

Middlesbrough's UEFA Cup hopes all but disappeared after a tumultuous night at the Riverside.

Three goals in 17 second-half minutes from Pedro Barbosa, Liedson and Rudolphe Douala looked to have taken Sporting out of sight.

But a late Boro rally saw Joseph Job's overhead kick and Chris Riggott's volley give the home side a chance ahead of the second leg.

March 17, 2005

Sporting Lisbon 1-0 Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough were unable to overturn the odds as their maiden European campaign ended in the Jose Alvalade Stadium. Joseph Job and Szilard Nemeth both missed good chances to fire the visitors into a surprise second-leg lead. But Pedro Barbosa's last-minute goal ensured it would be Sporting who progressed to the last eight, and a return trip to Tyneside.

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