Vieira’s men currently sit in 13th in the table, but with games in hand on Southampton, Brentford and Brighton & Hove Albion ahead of them. Leicester City, who sit in ninth place, are just three points clear, so victory in the north-east could see Palace jump into the top 10.
However a resurgent Newcastle are a different proposition to the side Palace faced before Christmas. Eddie Howe's arrival and extensive investment in the January transfer market have seen them emerge from a relegation battle and rise up the table, now level on points with the Eagles, albeit having played a game more.
After a damaging five-goal defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle have bounced back with two impressive victories over Wolverhampton Wanderers and Leicester – the latter via a goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time.
With the momentum behind the hosts, Palace will have a huge task on their hands to make it three straight victories at St James’ Park.
Tactical overview
Having been unable to field Conor Gallagher at Wembley, Patrick Vieira will be pleased to count on the England midfielder's return for the trip to Newcastle.
The manager changed systems for the FA Cup semi-final, starting Cheikhou Kouyaté as an additional centre-back in a three-man defensive unit, but may return to a more familiar 4-3-3 should Kouyaté shift back into midfield.
For Newcastle, much of their uptick in form has come from new talisman Bruno Guimarães, a £40m arrival from Lyon in January. The Brazilian international scored twice last time out against Leicester, including their last-gasp winner.
Guimarães typically starts alongside Shelvey and Joelinton – the latter transformed from a centre-forward into a box-to-box midfielder – in a three-man midfield, supporting Allan Saint-Maximin and Chris Wood in attack.