Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew has said that he is confident his assistant manager John Carver can successfully deliver the gameplan while he serves his seven-game suspension for headbutting David Meyler.

The first three games of the suspension, which begins with the trip to Craven Cottage on Saturday against Fulham, will see him banned from the stadium, leaving Carver in charge at the weekend.

"Our gameplan is in place," Pardew told BBC Sport. "John Carver knows it inside-out and I trust him 100% to deliver it.

"Fabricio Coloccini will come back into the team and he is important. His captaincy needs to step up a level over the next three games."

Newcastle are currently eighth in the Premier League.