NEWCASTLE will play their second friendly match of pre-season on Wednesday, 31 July when they take on Urawa Reds in Japan.
Eddie Howe's men faced Hull at the weekend in their pre-season fixture and they have since flown out ot Japan for their Asia Tour.
Their opponents, Urawa Reds, will provide Newcastle with the ideal test on Wednesday, given that they are currently part way through their domestic season. On fitness alone, this could be a bit of an eye-opener for the Magpies.
Ahead of kick-off in Japan, here is our Urawa Reds vs Newcastle prediction.
Recent head-to-head: A first-ever showdown
Newcastle have toured Asia in the past and they have even played matches in Japan, however, this will be the first time in their history that they have faced the Urawa Red Diamonds. Although they are currently languishing in mid-table in the J League, they won the AFC Champions League in 2022.
Urawa Red Diamonds have an interesting history when it comes to clashes with British clubs. They once had a special relationship with Man Utd and took several of the club's players on loan in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Players to watch: Tune in for the Alexander Isak show
Due to Sweden failing to qualify for Euro 2024, Alexander Isak has spent the vast majority of the summer relaxing, something Newcastle will be delighted about given his checkered history with injuries.
The talented striker has returned to training looking sharp and got himself on the scoresheet in Newcastle's first friendly against Hull City at the weekend. If Isak can continue to improve over the course of the next few weeks, then he will be a huge danger in the Premier League next season.
Another Newcastle man who is worth keeping an eye on this week is Nick Pope. The goalkeeper missed the majority of last season due to injury but is now fit and ready to go once again. It will be interesting to see how quickly he can return to full-match sharpness.
Predicted line-ups
This match represents a bit of a conundrum for the Urawa Red Diamonds given that they are in the middle of their domestic campaign in Japan. The fact they are struggling in mid-table means that they will likely play their strongest possible XI here, given that they have very little to play for in the J League.
As this is only Newcastle's second pre-season match, Eddie Howe's main priority will be getting minutes in the legs of as many players as possible. Expect heavy rotation throughout.
Urawa Reds: Nishikawa – Ishihara, Inoue, Hoibraaten, Sekine – Yasui, Ito – Okubo, Takeda, Watanabe – Matsuo
Newcastle: Pope – Livramento, Burn, Krafth, Hall – Miley, Joelinton – Murphy, Lewis, Barnes – Isak
Anything else catch the eye?
Urawa Reds are a team that have recently been involved in plenty of high-scoring matches. Their most recent clash ended in a 4-3 defeat and four of the six prior to that all saw at least three goals scored. As a result, Newcastle could be thrown into an end-to-end classic on Wednesday. Over 2.5 goals to be scored is the sensible bet here.
This International Friendly match between Urawa Reds and Newcastle will be played on Jul 31, 2024 and kick off at 11:30. Check below for our tipsters best Urawa Reds vs Newcastle prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
