Newcastle United have a pair of friendlies, on this the final weekend of the preseason. Up first is a visit from Girona FC on Friday night, a side that very much pleasantly surprised in La Liga last season. They will then welcome in Brest on Saturday.
Let’s take a look at what the strongest side possible might be for this match.
Preseason Friendly FYIs
Newcastle United vs Girona FC
Kickoff: Aug 9, St Jamesโ Park, 7:30pmย BST
Newcastle Preview Content:ย ย Starting XI Predictionย ย Team News
Buy the book: Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America
Eddie Howe could likely hand another start to summer signing Lloyd Kelly here, and it must feel great, for Geordies everywhere, to have Nick Pope back in between the sticks regularly.
Especially given all the time that he missed last season. Kieran Trippier and Anthony Gordon are back from their post England duty holiday, as they were apart of the Three Lions team that advanced to the title game at the Euros.
They likely won’t feature here, and certainly not from the opening kick. But here is who we think will
Newcastle United Starting XI Prediction vs Girona FC
Nick Pope; Tino Livramento, Fabian Schar, Lloyd Kelly, Lewis Hall; Sean Longstaff, Bruno Guimaraes, Joelinton; Jacob Murphy, Alexander Isak, Harvey Barnes
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor ofย The Sports Bank.ย Heโs also theย author of โTransatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,โ andย โNo, I Canโt Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.โ
He currently contributes toย Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMGโs NFL Wire Networkย and theย Internet Baseball Writers Association of America.ย His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated,ย Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times.ย You can follow himย onย Linked Inย andย Twitter.
