Newcastle lose 1-0 to Middlesbrough in behind-closed-doors friendly

Newcastle were beaten 1-0 by Middlesbrough in a behind-closed-doors friendly on Saturday, according to Gary Stonehouse at The Sun.

The training-ground match went ahead without Dan Burn or Anthony Elanga, raising further doubts about their chances of returning for Monday night's trip to Coventry.

Burn had been targeting a comeback after the international break, but Stonehouse reports that the captain now looks unlikely to be ready. He has been recovering from the ankle injury suffered in training before the season opener, while Elanga has been sidelined with a hamstring problem.

Confirmation from the gaffer

Matthias Jaissle confirmed that the game was played last week, explaining that it had been used "for a few guys who were here but also for the young lads from the Academy, which was good".

The run-out came during a lengthy gap in Newcastle's fixture list, with our last competitive outing the 2-1 win over Hull on 19 September.

Newcastle finally return to Premier League action at the Coventry Building Society Arena on Monday, with kick-off at 8pm.