Newcastle United officially began preseason with a 3-0 behind-closed-doors victory over Darlington, but Eddie Howe’s side now turns its attention to six friendlies that will gradually ramp up the difficulty before the Premier League opener.
This summer’s schedule features local opponents, Championship and Premier League rivals, a trip to Spain, and a pair of European visitors at St. James’ Park to wrap it all up.
From giving youngsters valuable minutes to building match fitness for returning World
Cup players, as well as integrating all summer signings, Newcastle must use the preseason to get a clearer view of next season’s squad and to answer all pending questions in Howe’s notepad. Here’s a full, match-by-match preview.
July 25: Gateshead vs. Newcastle — Gateshead International Stadium
Newcastle’s first public outing of the summer comes against National League side Gateshead in a traditional local friendly. Expect Howe to continue rotating heavily after the Darlington win, with academy prospects again likely to feature alongside senior players still building fitness.
While the result will matter little, supporters will get their first proper look at the squad, including all new arrivals to date and underage players hoping to impress before competition for places intensifies over the following weeks.
July 29: Bristol City vs. Newcastle — Ashton Gate
A trip to Ashton Gate will provide Newcastle’s first test against EFL opposition, with Bristol City expected to offer a more competitive challenge than Gateshead. The Championship side should provide a useful gauge of Newcastle’s sharpness and, perhaps, some new tactical developments if Howe has them in mind.
This is also the point where the gaffer may begin increasing the minutes of his expected starters, particularly those returning from international duty, as preparations move closer toward full-strength lineups and no more friendlies until more than a week later, already approaching mid-August.
August 8: Valencia vs. Newcastle — Mestalla
Newcastle heads to Spain to face Valencia in the Trofeo Naranja that will follow a warm-weather training camp in the land of the World Cup champs. Playing away against established La Liga opposition should offer one of the toughest technical tests of the summer.
With only two friendlies remaining afterward, this match could provide the clearest indication yet of Howe’s preferred starting XI as Newcastle continues building toward the Premier League opener.
August 12: Everton vs. Newcastle — Murrayfield
The neutral-site meeting with Everton in Edinburgh brings Newcastle’s first preseason clash against Premier League opposition. Both teams are likely to prioritize fitness, but the quality of the opposition makes this an important checkpoint.
Competition for places should begin taking shape here, especially in midfield, defense and goal, as Howe narrows down the group expected to start the campaign. Given the opponent and the date, it’s fair to at least hope for one or two more impactful incoming transfers to have happened and be available at this point (a goalie and a midfielder would be top notch), and there’s a chance both (if in Newcastle’s squad) feature heavily against Everton.
August 15: Newcastle vs. Bayer Leverkusen — St. James’ Park
The VisitMalta Weekender begins with arguably Newcastle’s strongest preseason opponent. Bayer Leverkusen should provide an excellent final examination against high-level European opposition.
With the league season just days away, Howe should be expected to field something very close to his strongest available lineup, making this perhaps the most revealing match of the summer, at least for the first half of this match.
August 16: Newcastle vs. Strasbourg — St. James’ Park
Newcastle will wrap up the preseason less than 24 hours later by hosting Strasbourg, as it’s been the case in past years with back-to-back games scheduled at SJP. Given the quick turnaround, Howe should rotate his team significantly, allowing players who featured less against Leverkusen to start, and likely changing everybody by the second half.
This match represents the final opportunity for Howe to fine-tune tactics, for the players to build some confidence, and for everybody to settle heading into the real football season with any pending decisions about the XI being finished at this point and before Newcastle opens its Premier League season the following weekend.
