Ben Arfa could miss City clash

Newcastle manager Alan Pardew fears he could be without key man Hatem Ben Arfa for Saturday's visit of defending Barclays Premier League champions Manchester City.

The winger, who returned from four games on the sidelines to score in the 2-1 defeat by Fulham on Monday night, risks missing out with a recurrence of the hamstring injury that has troubled him in recent weeks.

"For this game we have a bit of a concern over Hatem and whether he will be available and that is something we are looking at today," said Pardew. "His hamstring has a little bit of a problem and we're still trying to get to the bottom of that."

Copyright (c) PA Sport 2012, All Rights Reserved.