Be afraid of the Belgians.

Byline: By Paul Gilder

Oguchi Onyewu has told his Newcastle team-mates to ignore Francky Dury's pre-match mind games and insisted that an SV Zulte-Waregem side with a habit of springing surprises will pose a genuine threat to United's European ambitions.

Glenn Roeder's men will head to Belgium this morning to prepare for their Uefa Cup last-32 tie against the Jupiler League outfit and, although Dury has claimed his part-time team have no chance in tomorrow's first-leg meeting, Onyewu has paid little heed to the Regenboogstadion manager's comments.

Whilst the defender is ineligible for Continental action having played in this season's competition for Standard Liege, a player with a thorough understanding of Belgian football could have an important part to play with the knowledge he has been quick to impart.

And having watched Waregem demonstrate no respect for reputation during a meteoric rise in the rankings, Onyewu knows the Essevee will be determined to engineer another upset at the Jules Otten Stadion.

"That is what they live for," explained a player who has asked Roeder for permission to travel to Ghent to assist the United boss with his pre-match preparations. "The game against Newcastle will be perfect for them. They will be relishing the chance to knock out a big English side and spring a big surprise in Europe. This is a team who have built their reputation on upsets.

"They only came into the Belgian First Division a couple of years ago and they are not one of the big sides in Belgium. But in their short time in the top division they have caused plenty of problems for the bigger teams ( and they seem to thrive on causing shocks and upsets. We will have to watch out for them. They are capable of playing badly but, at the drop of a dime, they can turn it on and cause an upset."

Onyewu's former team-mates were on the receiving end at the weekend when Standard Liege lost 3-1 against a side without a win to their name in 2007. It was a result that did not go unnoticed by the on-loan American or United's coaching staff.

Chief scout David Mills has been a frequent visitor at the Regenboogstadion in recent weeks and, although Roeder knew little about a club that is less than six years old following December's draw, the gaps in his knowledge have been filled during the intervening period.

Having finished sixth in their maiden season in top-flight football last summer, Dury's team qualified for Europe by winning last season's Belgian Cup. Lokomotiv Moscow, Sparta Prague and Austria Vienna have been defeated in the Uefa Cup and, although Waregem's coach this week insisted his semi-professional side will not progress past this round, Onyewu is expecting a competitive game in Ghent.

"They are going to come out and get at us early on," said the 24-year-old. "They know this leg is going to be vital for them and they are going to try to upset us. It's absolutely vital we keep our composure, especially in defence.

"They will put us under pressure early on and we have to handle that. It's not going to be easy and I have emphasised that to my new team-mates. I don't feel it will make any difference they are playing at Ghent's ground, no difference at all. In fact, if they are playing at a better stadium and on a better pitch, it might inspire them even more."

Waregem are Belgium's last remaining team in Continental competition and, despite expectations having already been exceeded, United will be prepared for an onslaught in East Flanders. Yet Ajax and Espanyol have both beaten SV with ease this season and, given the home side's crippling injury list, Newcastle should follow suit.

"They are the last Belgian team in European competition and that's credit to them," added Onyewu. "They are a very hard-working side but I think we have the quality to knock them out. I'm quite sad about missing out on the game in Belgium."

* CELESTINE Babayaro is expected to make himself available for tomorrow's game at the Jules Otten Stadion, despite the death of his younger brother at the weekend.

The full-back played against Liverpool just hours after discovering Kennedy, his 26-year-old sibling, had lost his fight against severe tuberculosis. Babayaro last night insisted he lined up against Rafael Benitez's side to honour his brother. And although the Nigerian will be under no pressure to participate in Belgium, he is expected to be part of Glenn Roeder's squad in Ghent.