Mark Hughes will be unable to call on several of his biggest names for his first game in charge of QPR at Newcastle on Sunday.
Captain Joey Barton remains suspended for the Barclays Premier League trip to his former club, while Adel Taarabt and Armand Traore are on African Nations Cup duty.Alejandro Faurlin (knee) has been ruled out for the rest of the season and goalkeeper Paddy Kenny is keeping his fingers crossed he does not suffer a recurrence of the hip problem that has dogged him recently.
QPR (from): Kenny, Cerny, Murphy, Gabbidon, Connolly, Hill, Bothroyd, Orr, Derry, Buzsaky, Young, Smith, Mackie, Helguson, Wright-Phillips, Hulse, Campbell, Macheda.
Midfielder Danny Guthrie has returned to the Newcastle squad for Sunday's game.
Guthrie has been sidelined by a groin injury since the beginning of December and will provide manager Alan Pardew with a fresh option in the wake of Cheick Tiote's departure for the African Nations Cup.
However, striker Peter Lovenkrands (calf) is unlikely to make the game, and Sammy Ameobi (knee) has joined fellow midfielder Sylvain Marveaux (groin) and defender Steve Taylor (Achilles) on the list of long-term absentees.
Newcastle (from): Krul, Elliot, Harper, Simpson, R. Taylor, Santon, Ferguson, Perch, Coloccini, Williamson, Kadar, Cabaye, Obertan, Ben Arfa, Gutierrez, Guthrie, Gosling, Abeid, Vuckic, Best, Shola Ameobi.