Newcastle United host Bayer Leverkusen at St James' Park this afternoon in the first of two pre-season friendlies this weekend. The match marks Matthias Jaissle's first home game as head coach, with the German still assessing his squad ahead of next weekend's season opener against Liverpool.
Team news and injury updates
Tino Livramento will miss the match, though the England right-back is now training on the grass. He remains a doubt for the Liverpool game but is expected to return soon. Fabian Schar and Lewis Miley could feature over the weekend after injuries, while Dan Burn is expected to play a role after returning from his post-World Cup break.
New signings Sean Steur, Aladji Bamba, Bazou Toure and Lukas Hornicek are set to make their St James' Park debuts, with the squad likely to be split across the two matches.
Pre-season form and expectations
Newcastle suffered a 3-1 defeat to Everton in midweek, following a 2-1 win in Valencia. While the result counts for nothing, the Magpies could benefit from a morale-boosting performance in front of their own fans.
With two games in two days, a strong starting XI is expected, with most players given longer run-outs and youngsters populating the bench.
Weekend schedule
RC Strasbourg provide the opposition on Sunday, when Newcastle's Women will also face Inter Milan. All focus is on Leverkusen today, with live coverage of team news, match action, post-game analysis, ratings and reaction.
