Moscow Calling

Newcastle United head East today to the icy wilderness we know as Russia.

Moscow to be precise, as the place where Anzhi Makhachkala normally play their games, The Dynamo Stadium in Dagestan, is ruled unfit for competition by UEFA due to the ongoing unrest around the area making it very unsafe to go there.

The Luzhniki Stadium will play host to this Round of 16 1st leg game and it promises to be a very tough game in tough conditions on a playing surface that is quite alien to us. The dreaded artificial pitch.

Although plastic pitches have advanced a long way from our games on the old QPR or Luton days, it will still be a strange experience as the ball will bounce differently as well as be a different proposition altogether under foot, so we have to adapt.

The squad that gets the call to try to adapt to the conditions has been named and as expected it contains the likes of Hatem Ben Arfa.

The Full Squad

Jak Alnwick, Shola Ameobi, Vurnon Anita, Hatem Ben Arfa, Gael Bigirimana, Yohan Cabaye, Adam Campbell, Rob Elliot, Dan Gosling, Massadio Haidara, Sylvain Marveaux, Gabriel Obertan, James Perch, Davide Santon, Danny Simpson, Moussa Sissoko, Steven Taylor, Cheick Tiote, Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa.

Click here to join in the debate on the club forum.