Newcastle boss Kevin Keegan

Newcastle Manager Kevin Keegan has admitted he is just as excited about his second Newcastle mission as he was about the first ahead of Monday's crunch clash against title-chasing Chelsea.

A run of seven games unbeaten sends the Magpies into the encounter on a high and with renewed optimism for next season.

Keegan should have striker Mark Viduka at his disposal before he decides when to have the injection he needs to address his troublesome Achilles injury.

James Milner (foot) will return to the squad after a lengthy absence, while Abdoulaye Faye (groin) should be available after missing last weekend's trip to West Ham.

David Edgar (head) is expected to recover in time and Claudio Cacapa (groin) could also make the squad, although Shay Given (hernia) is out and Stephen Carr (hamstring) remains a doubt.

The fact that Keegan's men could have a major say in the destination of English football's biggest domestic prize, albeit for the benefit of others, makes a fixture they might have feared a few weeks ago an attractive one.

He said: "The Chelsea game will be interesting. It will be a good way to test ourselves because we have not played any of the big four in those seven matches.

"They have a lot to play for and we can see how we do against a top-four side, because they are the yardstick you have got to measure yourselves by, how far away are you from them?

"We know at the moment we are slightly behind them because the league table tells us that.

"But on current form, we are playing as well as anybody in the Premier League, so it will be interesting.'

Keegan, who enjoyed a hugely successful spell as a player at St James' Park towards the end of his illustrious career, established himself as a legend on Tyneside when he returned as manager in 1992 and oversaw the club's rise from the depths of the old second division to the heights of English football.

But for a late wobble which coincided with an unstoppable run from Manchester United, the Magpies would have lifted the league title for the first time since 1927 at the end of the 1995-96 campaign, and that disappointment remains the biggest regret of Keegan's first spell at the helm.

Twelve years on, the second coming - and a surprise one at that - is underway, and while there is a long way to go before Newcastle can even dream of competing at that level again, the irrepressible Yorkshireman is experiencing the same buzz.

Keegan said: "I don't think I am any different. It's a different era, it's a different set-up, it's a different time, it's a different league, but basically the excitement is the same.

"When I came the last time, we were in the division below and I wasn't any less excited because it wasn't the Premier League as it now is, or whatever it was then. The excitement was still there.'

The fact that Keegan even mentions the word "survival' is an indication of just how far the club's fortunes have sunk during his absence.