Owen to miss derby day

Newcastle boss Joe Kinnear will be without Michael Owen but could have Jonas Gutierrez and Joey Barton available for the weekend.

Newcastle go into Saturday's local derby with Sunderland desperate for a win having notched a solitary victory in the opening eight games of the season.

However, fans thinking of backing the St James Park outfit with their £10 free bet will be more tentative now that Kinnear has now been forced to concede the England star will have to sit out the trip to the Stadium of Light with his groin strain.

However, there could be better news regarding both winger Gutierrez and defender Habib Beye. The Argentinian is back in training after recovering from a shoulder injury and Kinnear regards him as '50-50' for the game. Beye, though, will be definitely be at the former Wimbledon manager's disposal after having his red card, picked up against Manchester City, rescinded by the FA disciplinary committee.

Meanwhile, midfielder Barton knows his top-level football career will be over should he mess up again and although he concedes he will be public enemy No1 for away fans, he is hopeful of getting a run out in the highly-charged atmosphere of the Tyne-Wear derby.

The one-cap England international is available after completing a six-game ban handed down by the FA for his clash with former team-mate Ousmane Dabo at Man City.

Sunderland are themselves without key men, although Roy Keane has demanded his players end the club's wretched home record against Newcastle.

The Black Cats boss knows he will again be without Kenwyne Jones, despite the fact the striker managed an hour for the reserves this week, and Keane will be hoping his men will be able to notch their first win against their north-east neighbours on home soil for 28 years.