NOT since the European Championship finals last summer has there been such a perfect excuse for gratuitous use of the word “saudade”, the deep sense of yearning that is said to infiltrate the Portuguese soul. Graeme Souness arrived in Lisbon yesterday evening with a plane-load of it; yearning for a fully fit Newcastle United team, a spell away from the spotlight’s glare, a decent holiday, a trophy.

During a week when Newcastle play a Uefa Cup quarter-final against Sporting Lisbon and face Manchester United in the semi-finals of the FA Cup, saudade is very much on their minds. European competition has inspired them — so much so that they have applied to enter the summer-disrupting InterToto Cup — but they are approaching tomorrow evening’s pivotal fixture with a spate of injuries.

Shay Given, the goalkeeper, is rated doubtful for both matches, which is a formidable blow to Newcastle’s ambitions. He aggravated a hip injury during the first leg — when they eked out a 1-0 advantage — and has not trained since, despite taking a course of anti-inflammatory tablets. “I’m just hoping the tablets kick in,” Given said, “because if you shook me at the minute I might rattle.”

He admits that his participation is “touch and go”, but he has not kicked a ball for six days. “It’d be a kick in the teeth for me if I wasn’t fit to play in two of the biggest games the club has had for a long time,” he said. “It’s a big dilemma because I’ve never played in Cardiff before and an injection is another option I’ll look at.”

Should, as expected, Given’s unavailability be confirmed, Souness will keep faith with Steve Harper, despite Sunday’s rare mistake against Tottenham Hotspur that propelled Newcastle to defeat. “I’ve no qualms about playing Steve,” the manager said. “He actually had a good game against Spurs and if he had to play against Sporting, I’d have all the confidence in the world about him handling it.”

Souness must also decide whether to start with Titus Bramble, who has not played since having hernia surgery. The chances favour the gamble — “more than 50-50,” Souness said — especially with Jean-Alain Boumsong ineligible and other defenders lacking confidence. “He was outstanding before having his operation,” Souness said. “It’s the sort of decision I’m paid a lot of money to make.”

Supporters would once have scoffed at the notion of the error-prone Bramble as a saviour, but he has established himself as a solid centre half. “These two games have given me something to aim for,” he said. “I’ve been desperate to play in what would be two of the biggest matches of my career, if not the biggest. That helps when you’ve got a long rehabilitation. Sunday might be safer, but I’m ready to play if the manager needs me.”

A scan on Kieron Dyer’s injured hamstring has not revealed any significant damage and he should figure against Sporting, as will Celestine Babayaro and Alan Shearer, who was substituted against Tottenham with a dead leg. The brittle Patrick Kluivert has also travelled. Lee Bowyer is under consideration for a starting place in midfield.

Were Newcastle to win a tournament or, potentially, even lose to Arsenal in the FA Cup Final, they would qualify for next season’s Uefa Cup, but the club are taking nothing for granted. They have indicated their willingness to participate in the second round of the InterToto Cup — one stage earlier than either Middlesbrough or Crystal Palace, who have also officially expressed interest — which begins on July 2. The deadline for applications is not until the end of next month, but Newcastle’s plans are unlikely to provoke huge expectation among their players. “We’ll just have to try and qualify for Europe automatically,” Shearer said. They will not be doing so through their league position.

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