Newcastle United have confirmed only one pre-season friendly so far, with players due to return to training in less than a month. The Magpies will face Everton at Edinburgh's Murrayfield Stadium on Wednesday, August 12, kicking off at 5pm.
Unconfirmed Fixtures and Training Camp
No other fixtures have been confirmed yet, though the club is expected to face Lee Cattermole's Gateshead at the International Stadium in late July. Eddie Howe's squad will assemble the week beginning Monday, July 13, for fitness tests at the club's Benton headquarters. The group will then travel to a training camp at La Manga in Spain, though no dates have been set.
In recent years, Newcastle have held two pre-season friendlies at St James' Park the week before the season starts. This year, that would fall on the weekend of August 15-16.
Talks with AS Roma
ChronicleLive revealed in April that Italian giants AS Roma had been invited to play at Newcastle ahead of the new season. However, no agreement has been announced yet.
Newcastle are far from alone in having a limited schedule. Bournemouth, Brighton, Crystal Palace, Fulham, Hull City, and Nottingham Forest have yet to arrange a fixture. Liverpool, Leeds United, and Sunderland will play in a tournament in the USA, alongside Championship side Wrexham, while some clubs are travelling further afield. Aston Villa and Chelsea have fixtures in the Far East, and Tottenham will travel to Australia and New Zealand in late July and early August.
World Cup Impact
The World Cup final will be held on Sunday, July 19, and any Newcastle player involved in the tournament will be given at least three additional weeks off. Currently, Bruno Guimaraes, Dan Burn, Anthony Elanga, Nick Woltemade, Malick Thiaw, and Yoane Wissa all look set to progress to the knockout stages.
