Newcastle United midfielder Hatem Ben Arfa has been ruled out of the second leg of their last-16 Europa League clash with Anzhi Makhachkala on Thursday.
The 26-year-old has been suffering with an ongoing hamstring injury this season, but it was expected that he would be fit for the welcome of the Russian outfit this week.
However, Magpies boss Alan Pardew has officially ruled the Frenchman out of the tie. He told reporters at a press conference: "The team news is pretty good and we are pretty much there apart from Hatem.
"We can't take any risks. He had a slight strain and we are just checking it is nothing more than that and I think that will be the diagnosis so the alarm bells are not ringing and he is not in a bad place with his psychology so I don't think there is anything untoward in that."
Ben Arfa aggravated his injury in the 0-0 draw against Anzhi in the first leg last week.
