"I knew we would form a great partnership having played with each other for the Senegal national team... We almost have a telepathic understanding but we can communicate with words and gestures from our own country that nobody else understands and that is a small advantage over rival defenders."

"Nobody has said they are not counting on me being without me nect season. The rumours about me leaving have no basis. I have never said I want to leave. I love the newcastle fans. Since the day I arrived they have shown me nothing but support, so why would I walk away from that?"

In an interview with the Sunday Sun, Newcastle's Senegalese striker Demba Ba has seemingly put to bed rumours that he is considering leaving the club when the transfer window re-opens in the close season. Ba is enjoying a prolific partnership with compatriot Papiss Cisse at the head of a Newcastle attack which put paid to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, and is hungry to find a goal to break the drought that has seen him fail to score since February 5th (on Cisse's debut against Aston Villa). The striker who was sensational in the first half of the season after a slow start is also confident that his side can dent Man City's title hopes... We are in no mood to surrender the points with so much at stake. City are in for a tough afternoon because were determined to win the game and boost our chances of Champions League football. Nobody can expect to play us at home and have an easy time - regardless of whether they are chasing the title or not. In an exclusive interview with the Sun, in which Ba talked up the partnership he has formed with Cisse since the former Freiburg striker joined Alan Pardew's Toon revolution in January, Ba says they vowed to put fear into Premier League defenders. "On the first day he arrived we promised one another that we would form a partnership that would strike fear into England and the Premier League defences. And we are keeping our promise. Cisse is scoring goals that even Cristiano Ronaldo would be proud of... We are bringing happiness to a lot of people and that in turn makes us very happy - we can play with a smile on our faces." He goes on to explain just why the relationship is working so well on the pitch:Ba waxes lyrical about the quality of his strike partner, calling him the "best strike sensation of the season", and the best news for Newcastle United fans is that Ba has no plans to end his partnership with Cisse prematurely:Great news, and hopefully Ba can continue his and his team's good form, and score his first goal since February to put Newcastle in the driving seat for Champions League qualification. Read our Newcastle United vs Man City preview here , and our plan for how Pardew's men can triumph over Mancini's champions elect here