Newcastle legend Alan Shearer just cannot understand why his former club is traveling to Australia, right now, to play a couple of friendlies. Toon will play Tottenham on Wednesday, with another exhibition match coming on Friday against an A-League All-Star side.
“Can you imagine if you’re a player who is playing in either the Copa America or Euro 2024 having to do that? Madness. Crazy,” Shearer said while appearing on Match Of The Day.
Postseason Friendly FYIs
Tottenham Hotspur vs Newcastle United
Kickoff (local day and time): Thurs May 23, 7:45pm, Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne, Australia
Team News: Tottenham Newcastle
Starting XI Predictions: Tottenham Newcastle
Premier League Finishes Tottenham 5th Newcastle 7th
“I wouldn’t be happy at all. It’s crazy for Newcastle to go and play Spurs there on Wednesday night and then another game.”
Kieran Trippier spoke out against the idea of the match as well.
“It’s not ideal because it’s a tournament year,” he said.
“I understand why the club are doing it. I’ve done it at Tottenham and [Atlético] Madrid but from my own experience of it, in a tournament year it’s not ideal.”
So with that in mind, here is the lineup, with some regulars and some reserves that we’re predicting.
Newcastle United Starting XI Prediction vs Tottenham Hotspur
Mark Gilespie; Harrison Ashby, Dan Burn, Emil Krafth, Lewis Hall; Jacob Murphy, Elliott Anderson, Joelinton; Miguel Almiron, Amadou Diallo, Harvey Barnes
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.