Pardew confirms injured Tiote a doubt for Newcastle opener against Tottenham

Last season's surprise package are counting the cost of a friendly against Cardiff which saw the midfielder and captain Coloccini pick up knocks

Newcastle manager Alan Pardew has revealed that midfielder Chiekh Tiote could miss the start of the Premier League season after hobbling off in their pre-season friendly against Cardiff on Saturday.

Pardew’s men concluded their pre-season fixtures with a 4-1 defeat to the Bluebirds, in a game which saw them 3-0 down after just 26 minutes.

However, far more worrying for Newcastle will be the condition of both Tiote and captain Fabricio Coloccini, with their manager reporting they are doubts for next Saturday’s kick-off at the Sports Direct Arena.

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"Chiekh [Tiote] has a calf strain so we will have to monitor him. We are sweating on him for next Saturday," Pardew said, according to the Daily Mail.

"[Fabricio] Coloccini also has a knock but I’m not sure how that is. He is due to travel to Argentina but we will have to assess him, too."

After finishing in an impressive fifth place last season, Newcastle face a hectic start to the new campaign.

Pardew’s men open against Spurs before travelling to Greece to face Atromitos in the first leg of their Europa League qualifier, and then taking on Chelsea at Stamford Bridge two days later.