The pair have been key figures in the club's rise and extended stay inside the Barclays Premier League's top six, and although their recent absence due to Tiote's presence at the African Nations Cup with the Ivory Coast and Cabaye's three-match ban did the Magpies no apparent harm, their return has been more than welcome.

Manager Alan Pardew admitted the France international and his sidekick looked rusty in the 2-2 draw with Wolves a fortnight ago, and they found themselves up against it in last weekend's derby clash with Sunderland as Lee Cattermole and Craig Gardner enjoyed the better of their first half duel.

However, they responded after the beak to lay the foundation for a fightback, and now Cabaye is hoping they can remain fit and in tandem until the end of the campaign to help fulfil the club's ambitions.

He said: "Now there are 11 games and we hope to play together in all 11 games and help to win many of them to stay at the top of the league and get into the Europa League or maybe more.

"Personally, I love playing next to Cheick. He understands football.

"He can play easily one- and two-touch, he is a very, very good midfielder and he can get the ball up the field to the attackers.

"For us, he is very good. For me and for the wide players, we can go forward and Cheick stays just in front of the back four."

Cabaye, a £4.8million summer signing from French double winners Lille, has been a big hit in his first season on Tyneside, although he admits it has taken him time to find his feet in English football.

His second game for the club was the derby trip to Sunderland, which Newcastle won 1-0, an afternoon which quickly acclimatised him not only to the intensity of the Premier League, but also the passion of the north-east rivalry.

Almost seven months on, he is confident he has got to grips with the game in this country.

He said: "I have learnt about the intensity in the game and to run, to attack, to defend. I am stronger now than at the start of the season.

"It [the English game] is more physical. The referee doesn't whistle like in France, so you have to learn about that. You have to be very focused."

Cabaye has certainly not shirked his duties on the physical side even if Tiote is regarded as the enforcer in that midfield engine room.

Indeed, he has found himself on the wrong side of officialdom on several occasions already this season, most significantly when he was convicted on video evidence of kicking out at Brighton defender Adam El-Abd during the Magpies' 1-0 FA Cup fourth round defeat at the Amex Stadium on January 28.

However, that enforced lay-off has left the 26-year-old raring to go for the remainder of the campaign.

He said: "I was disappointed with my three-match ban, but I had a good rest and I worked hard to be fit for the end of the season."

Cabaye and his team-mates head for Arsenal on Monday night knowing they face a major challenge if they are to repeat their 1-0 victory there last season with the fourth-placed Gunners having returned to something like top form in recent weeks.

Manager Alan Pardew said: "They are probably in that form that is the best of the season for them, so we are going to find it a very, very tough game. But we are in pretty good shape as well.

"It's a game in which we are going to have to go and attack because if we go in any other way, we could be picked off."