AS GRAEME SOUNESS and his players boarded their coach at Tel Aviv airport on Tuesday evening, each member of the squad was presented with a flower, a symbol of peace. After the draw for the first round of the Uefa Cup offered them a nervous journey to Israel, Newcastle United had been pondering questions of security and this was a disarming gesture; safety will only become an issue on the pitch tonight.

Subverting stereotypes is what Newcastle’s opponents are all about. A tiny club from Galilee, formed 11 years ago, with no ground and meagre finances, the rise of Hapoel Bnei Sakhnin through the divisions and on to glory in last season’s State Cup would be remarkable enough without them promoting the integration of Jews and Arabs. Their story is amazing, yet the irony is that, in playing terms, it has been based on conflict.

If Newcastle did not know what to expect of their trip to the Middle East then, they are acutely aware now of the problems that Hapoel will present at the Ramat Gan Stadium. Eyal Lachman, their coach, has been widely criticised for his team’s aggressive approach, but he will not be deflected from it.

Abbass Swan, the captain, was dismissed in the opening leg at St James’ Park and five players were cautioned. Their tactics were rugged, to say the least, but in restricting Newcastle to a two-goal lead and drawing them into a physical test — Nicky Butt was also sent off — they were partially successful. “We should have risen above it,” Souness, the Newcastle manager, said.

He knows that more indiscipline could bring significant repercussions. Taking their leave of the competition before the onset of a lucrative new group phase would seriously undermine Newcastle’s early progress under Souness, whose players will be warned not to be swayed by provocation.

“They will want to get us involved in argy-bargy, to get us involved in non-footballing stuff,” he said. “We’ve got to get out and play our football and make sure that the referee allows us to. We’ve seen the colour of their eyes and know what to expect. They’ll be looking to break things down at every opportunity.”

Souness, who has won his first three games since replacing Sir Bobby Robson, is concerned that Newcastle do not allow themselves to “get caught up in what we did” on Tyneside. Anger is still simmering. “There were lots of bad tackles flying around,” Olivier Bernard, the full back, said. “The game did not really flow and there was a lot of bad feeling. The ambience between the teams was not good and a few of us lost our tempers.”

Lachman makes no apologies. “We’re going out to play our normal physical football,” he said. “Here in Israel it is sometimes perceived as overviolent, but I don’t understand why.” Energy Murambadoro, the goalkeeper, echoed the complaint. “That is our type of game,” he said. “We play like that every week. We cannot change overnight and we won’t change it for Newcastle. They are all very good players, but I cannot say I’m scared of any of them.”

HAPOEL BNEI SAKHNIN (possible; 4-4-2): E Marambadoro — A Rabah, E Etchi, A Danan, B Ghnaim — A Kassom, K Khalaila, T Eliyahu, A E Masudi — A Hamud, E A Olumide.

NEWCASTLE UNITED (possible; 4-4-2): S Given — S Carr, A O’Brien, R Elliott, O Bernard — J Milner, J Jenas, L Bowyer, L Robert — A Shearer, P Kluivert.

Referee: J Rodríguez Santiago (Spain).