After ending their pre-season tour of Austria with a 1-0 defeat against Mainz 05, Newcastle jetted back to the North East before quickly heading out to Portugal for another training camp.
Saturday saw The Magpies get the better of two Burnley XIs in a behind closed doors practice session which involved two sets of XIs playing against each other at the same time on different pitches.
But tonight is sure to provide arguably Newcastle’s toughest test of pre-season so far with Champions League quarter-finalists Benfica the hosts and the Eusebio Cup on the line.
Eddie Howe has made seven changes to the side that were beaten 1-0 against Mainz with Martin Dubravka, Paul Dummett and Ryan Fraser all missing out.
5. Matt Targett - 5
Not the most comfortable evening for the Newcastle left-back as he struggled to get forward and couldn’t get his foot on the ball. | Getty Images
6. Sean Longstaff - 6
Was tidy in possession but often overran in the middle. | Jack McGraghan
7. Bruno Guimaraes - 6
Played a neat ball through to release Almiron early on. Booked and may have been fortunate to stay on the pitch had it not been a friendly match. Photo: Owen Humphreys
8. Elliot Anderson - 6
Brought energy to the midfield and was able to put one teasing ball into the box. Photo: Getty