By Matthew Jones
October 1 2002

Both Laurent Robert and Kieron Dyer have passed fitness tests ahead of tonights clash with Italian Giants Juventus. Both players are set to start tonight as Newcastle face a tough Juventus XI. Kieron Dyer and Laurent Robert have been passed fit for Tuesday's vital showdown with Juventus in Turin and both should start.

Sir Bobby Robson had been waiting for reports on the duo before naming his side for the Group E clash at the Stadio delle Alpi. But the good news from Turin is that both players will be involved, having shaken off Achilles and hamstring problems respectively.

Robson has also responded to his Alan Shearer's public request to play every game by reassuring his skipper that he has no intention of dropping him from the side to face Juventus.

The manager's biggest dilemma now seems whether to play Lomana LuaLua up front alongside Shearer - in the absence of the suspended Craig Bellamy - or push Dyer further forward into a striking role.

"Alan is a reliable player and a reliable character," said Robson. "He is someone who has played at the highest level for his country and he is very important to us. He is in good form and he has the experience for this sort of game."

The Newcastle manager knows his side's Champions League chances are hanging by a thread, but Robson has stopped short of demanding a win-at-all-costs approach - suggesting that a point against the Italians will be enough to keep the dream alive. We have no points and we need to get some from this game. If we lose we can only get a maximum of nine - that is a tough task and it might not even be enough to finish in the top two. Basically, if we don't get some points against Juventus, one or three, we will not qualify for the second stage," said Robson.

But Robson declares he has every confidence that his team can get a result against the last Italian side to win the Champions League.

"We understand the difficulty but this is not an event we are afraid of," he said. "If we give the right performance, we know we can get something from the game."