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Newcastle United: What to expect against Hull City on Tuesday

By Durim Halimi

HULL, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 29: Adama Diomande of Hull City holds off Isaac Hayden and Jonjo Shelvey of Newcastle United during the EFL Cup Quarter-Final match between Hull City and Newcastle United at KCOM Stadium on November 29, 2016 in Hull, England. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
HULL, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 29: Adama Diomande of Hull City holds off Isaac Hayden and Jonjo Shelvey of Newcastle United during the EFL Cup Quarter-Final match between Hull City and Newcastle United at KCOM Stadium on November 29, 2016 in Hull, England. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images) /
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Newcastle United will play their second friendly match of the summer when they play Hull City on Tuesday.

Newcastle United have departed Ireland after their 2-0 victory over St. Patrick’s Athletic last week. The Magpies are now preparing for their second test of the summer as they will travel to the KCOM Stadium to play Hull City on Tuesday.

Although Hull City will be an inferior opponent, the Tigers will be a strong preseason test for the Magpies after their comfortable victory in Ireland. Hull City currently play their football in the EFL Championship.

Hull City struggled last season and barely avoided relegation to League One with Sunderland. The Tigers managed to earn 49 points last season and scored 70 goals in the process, which is more than 19 other clubs in the Championship. With that being said, here are three things we can expect to see in the clash between Newcastle and Hull City.

Round Two for Sean Longstaff

Seeing that this friendly comes before Newcastle’s trip to Portugal, this will likely be the final match in which youngsters like Sean Longstaff get big minutes. Longstaff impressed Rafa Benitez in his first team debut against St. Patrick’s Athletic.

The young midfielder opened the scoring for the Magpies and maintained a good run of form for the rest of the match. Longstaff’s performance earned him a second audition with the first team and Benitez will surely keep a close eye on him tomorrow.

Midfield Shakeup – Ki Sung-yueng?

As was the case in Ireland, Benitez will most likely make several substitutions in midfield to get a feel for what combination of players can be most effective. This friendly against Hull City could also set the tone for more playing time in Portugal.

Moreover, Ki Sung-yueng could make his debut for Newcastle as he re-joined the squad after his World Cup vacation. It will be interesting and nice to get a glimpse of Ki alongside Jonjo Shelvey and compare him to Mohamed Diame.

It is also worth mentioning that Hull City are not to be undermined as they were a Premier League side in 2016. Benitez is aware of the Tigers’ quality and will prepare his men for a competitive fixture, especially in the middle third of the pitch.

Defensive Composure

Last, but not least, Newcastle’s defensive unit will face a tougher opponent in Hull City than they did against St. Patrick’s Athletic. As mentioned earlier, Hull City scored 70 goals in their last campaign and they will not hesitate to attack.

The Magpies were sound defensively in their first friendly, however, moments of rusty form were on display as Ciaran Clark almost scored an own goal. Composure will be the key observation in this match as Benitez will hope that his back-line can earn another clean sheet away from home.