The Toon boss played down rumours the Ivory Coast international had pulled a muscle and would miss the fixture.
Alan Pardew: "Cheick had cramp.
"We had no subs left, and we were losing bodies. Demba Ba, for example, could hardly move.
"We're just hoping it was a bit of cramp."
It must be a concern to Pardew because Danny Simpson was one of four Newcastle players to come down with cramp ... yet no Arsenal player suffered.
Consider the Gunners have played TEN games in Europe this season and played more domestic cup ties than ourselves, why are Newcastle players not as fit?
Or is "more games" the answer?