The 27-year-old frontman will make just his 14th start for the Magpies in the two years since his £17million switch from Real Madrid with the manager ringing the changes for the Carling Cup second-round tie.

Owen was used as a substitute in the recent Barclays Premier League draws with Aston Villa and Middlesbrough after shaking off a thigh strain.

But he will get his chance from the start at St James' Park tomorrow and Allardyce is confident it is only a matter of time before he gets back among the goals, having not scored for the club since December 17, 2005.

The 52-year-old said: "I don't think Michael has got anything to prove to anybody regarding how good a player he is.

"What Michael wants to do is just stay fit and play games of football and enjoy his football again for as long as he possibly can, both with Newcastle United and with England, and try to help us be successful and try to get to a position where, when we select him on a week-to-week basis, he produces the goals we know he can.

"If we do that, then we are going to be a very, very good side throughout this year in the Premier League."

Owen scored for England in Estonia in June and for his club in a pre-season friendly at Hartlepool the following month, but has played precious little football during his two seasons on Tyneside because of serious metatarsal and knee injuries.

His lengthy battles for fitness have been gruelling and he is still searching for match-sharpness, although that is something Allardyce is confident will return with every minute he is on the pitch.

He said: "He is a very quiet man and a very determined young man who commits himself to his rehabilitation to get fit as quickly as he possibly can.

"Now he can extend that into his rehabilitation work on a regular basis, which he will do, to make sure he stays fit, hopefully, and rekindle his obvious talent for scoring goals and playing football.

"You have got a much happier player when that happens, when he will hopefully put all fears behind him in the next few weeks, because in his mind, slightly, there will always be the doubt of 'am I going to get injured again'?

"The longer he goes without an injury, the more confidence he gets and the better and more we can get out of him."

Coca-Cola Championship side Barnsley will hope Owen's search for top form does not end tomorrow night, although they may have more to worry about than just him with Brazilian defender Claudio Cacapa and Spanish full-back Jose Enrique also likely to be involved.

Allardyce is making the Carling Cup a priority, although he has spent much of the last few days attempting to strengthen his defensive resources after losing Peter Ramage for several months with a cruciate ligament injury and Stephen Carr for a matter of weeks with a hamstring tear.

He is hoping to make two further signings before Friday's transfer deadline - he has been linked with Chelsea' Glenn Johnson, but is hoping to clinch a £2million swoop for Bolton's Abdoulaye Faye within the next 24 hours.

Asked about Faye, Allardyce said: "I hope maybe it will be finalised within the next 24 hours, but I am not so sure.

"Because it has gone on so long, I really just don't know where it lies at the moment.

"We are pursuing two targets at this particular moment and outside of that, if they do not work, there are another couple that we can move to very quickly.

"Hopefully, at least one player will arrive by Friday, and hopefully two."