Newcastle announce Everton friendly as pre-season plans take shape

Newcastle United has today confirmed that they will head north of the border in August for a pre-season friendly.

It was already confirmed that Newcastle would be heading to La Manga for their pre-season preparations this summer/

Newcastle's hierarchy decided that with the World Cup and all of the travel last summer, they'd be better served staying closer to home this time around with rumours around a potential friendly with Everton to be staged in Scotland.

Last year, Newcastle flew off to Japan and South Korea in an exhausting pre-season tour, but with all the travel that our World Cup representatives will have to do over the summer, the club felt it best to reduce the amount of travel the squad should do for pre-season.

Tickets will be available soon - Register your interest now

Newcastle United announced via its website on Thursday morning that they will indeed face Everton at Edinburgh's famous Murrayfield Stadium.

The tie is set to take place on Wednesday, 12th August at 5:15pm. As the club points out, fans wanting to catch the game could make quite a day of it as the fixture coincides with the famous Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Tickets start from £35 for adults and £17 for under-16s (plus booking fees).

• Thursday 28 May (4pm) Pre-sale opens for Newcastle United Season Ticket Holders and Members. 

• Monday 1 June (10am): Pre-sale opens for fans who registered for priority access. 

• Tuesday 2 June (10am): General sale opens via Ticketmaster.

(Fans are strongly encouraged to register interest now to receive the latest updates and gain priority access to tickets.)

Eddie Howe says the game will be an important part of pre-season

Eddie Howe told the official site that Everton will pose an 'exciting test' at a famous ground and will be ideal preparation for the new Premier League campaign.

“An exciting test against Premier League opposition at a historic venue like Murrayfield Stadium will play an important part in our pre -season preparations.

“I’m sure our fans will bring a special atmosphere to Edinburgh for a fantastic summer away day, giving the players a massive lift as we build towards the new campaign.”

So close to the start of the new season, this will be the perfect opportunity for the squad, whatever it looks like by that point, to get that last-minute match practice in.