Newcastle United welcome Bayer Leverkusen to St James' Park on Saturday in the first of two pre-season friendlies. The match kicks off at 3pm and is being shown on DAZN and NUFC TV, with all broadcasts requiring a subscription.
New manager's early test
New manager Matthias Jaissle took charge of his first game in midweek, a 3-1 defeat to Everton at Murrayfield. On the same day, the German side lost 2-1 to Nottingham Forest. It has been a turbulent summer for the Toon, who have lost a manager and a number of first-team stars to other clubs.
On Sunday, Strasbourg are the visitors as the Premier League side build up to their league campaign, which kicks off next weekend.
Team news and injury updates
Anthony Elanga should be in contention after escaping serious injury from a nasty challenge against Valencia. Jaissle initially feared the worst, but medical checks were reassuring. Yoane Wissa comes into the game with confidence after scoring twice to turn the Valencia match around.
Newcastle have been giving significant opportunities to their younger players, with Lukas Hornicek, Aladji Bamba, Bazoumana Touré and Sean Steur all featuring during pre-season. Valentino Livramento is listed with a hamstring injury, while Lewis Miley has a leg injury.
Opposition and wider context
Leverkusen arrive having had a very busy pre-season. One notable absence is Robert Andrich, who suffered a muscular problem against Sevilla and is expected to miss the England trip, including the Newcastle game. Montrell Culbreath is another concern; the 18-year-old attacker suffered a foot injury against Sevilla and left the stadium on crutches, with further tests required.
Newcastle are coming off a 3-1 defeat to Everton, so Jaissle will be looking for a much sharper defensive display. The wider picture is that Newcastle are still in transition following the departures of Bruno Guimarães, Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon, among others. Jaissle has admitted the squad needs time and has stressed an aggressive, high-intensity style.
Matthias Jaissle said: "You cannot change things really quickly. It's a really young team at the moment so there are vacuums where players need to step up. We fill these positions we lost with the experienced players, but that's also the process."
