Bobby Robson, already coming under an unprecedented degree of scrutiny after three years in charge of Newcastle United, risks again incurring the wrath of supporters by tinkering with his team's formation this evening.

Robson was criticised heavily on Tyneside for fielding a 3-5-2 line-up at Manchester City three weeks ago, when Newcastle lost 1-0, but in asking Aaron Hughes to man-mark the Dynamo Kiev playmaker, the Romanian Florin Cernat, Robson looks set to return to a back three. Judging from training yesterday - in which Kieron Dyer did not participate - it is likely to be comprised of Andy O'Brien, Nikos Dabizas and Olivier Bernard.

So far this season the Newcastle defence has not engendered confidence, and to rob it of its most assiduous defender, Hughes, will cause consternation to those anxious about the chaotic efforts at Maine Road.

But in Newcastle's favour are that Dynamo Kiev are not the team of five years ago, when Newcastle drew 2-2 in the Olympic stadium. Sergei Rebrov and Andrei Shevchenko were at their dangerous best then and it did not seem insignificant that the stallholders around the stadium yesterday continued to sell replica shirts with those names on them.

Dynamo, now managed by the former Rangers player Alexei Mikhailichenko, are experiencing a serious injury crisis. Most damaging is that two senior goalkeepers are injured, which means a debut for the 19-year-old Ruslan Khudzhamov.

DYNAMO KIEV (possible, 4-5-1): Khudzhamov; Radchenko, Ghioane, Sablic, Nesmachnyi; Khatskevich, Cernat, Husin, Peev, Kaddouri; Shatskikh.

NEWCASTLE UNITED (possible, 3-1-4-2): Given; O'Brien, Dabizas, Bernard; Hughes; Solano, Jenas, Dyer, Speed; Bellamy, Shearer.