Newcastle United announce pre-season friendlies

Newcastle United are set to play four friendlies before the 2018/19 Premier League campaign begins.

Newcastle United have confirmed four friendly matches that will help the Magpies prepare for the 2018/19 Premier League campaign. Like last summer, the Magpies will have a diverse group of opponents that will provide Newcastle with adversity in each match.

Newcastle are set to travel to Ireland and Portugal before playing a final friendly match against FC Augsburg at St. James’ Park. The Magpies will face the following opponents in July and August:

• July 17 – St. Patrick’s Athletic (Ireland)
• July 24 – Hull City (England)
• July 28 – FC Porto (Portugal)
• August 4 – FC Augsburg  (Germany)

Analyzing the Opposition

On paper, Newcastle will be favored to win in three of the four pre-season friendlies they have scheduled. FC Porto will be the Magpies’ most difficult opponent, but FC Augsburg will best prepare Newcastle for the upcoming season. Here is a brief overview of all four pre-season opponents.

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St. Patrick’s Athletic

St. Patrick’s Athletic will host the Magpies at Richmond Park in Dublin, Ireland. St. Patrick’s Athletic, also known as the Saints, finished the 2017 campaign in eighth place, two positions above the relegation zone, with 39 points.

Unlike most European leagues, the 2018 League of Ireland Premier Division is still ongoing. With 13 matches remaining, the Saints are currently fifth in the table with 30 points. Newcastle supporters can expect the Magpies to experiment against the Saints due to the notable disparity in roster quality.

Hull City

The Tigers of Hull City will host the Magpies at KCOM stadium just one week after Newcastle take on St. Patrick’s Athletic in Dublin. Hull City had a disappointing season in the EFL Championship as they finished 18th in the table with 49 points.

Hull City are looking forward to their match against Newcastle as the Tigers aim to improve next season by playing quality opponents in the summer. This will most likely be another match where Benitez will play younger players to analyze the depth he possesses on the roster.

FC Porto

The Portuguese football giants will host Newcastle at the Estadio de Dragao for an entertaining friendly. FC Porto dominated the Primeira Liga with a first place finish after earning 88 points from 34 matches.

FC Porto are no strangers to playing in the UEFA Champions League and this bodes well for the Magpies. If Newcastle want to elevate their contemporary status in the Premier League, they will have to defeat elite clubs. This friendly on July 28th will be the most difficult for Newcastle as they prepare for Premier League action.

FC Augsburg

One week after traveling to Portugal, the Magpies will play their final pre-season friendly against FC Augsburg at St. James’ Park. FC Augsburg enjoyed a mid-table finish in the German Bundesliga with a balanced record of ten wins, 11 draws and 13 losses.

As a result of FC Augsburg playing in the top tier of German football, the quality in this match will be equivalent to what the Magpies can expect in the Premier League. Two mid-table European sides clashing at St. James’ Park will shine light on where Newcastle stand before the start of the season.