Newcastle United Vs Sporting Lisbon |
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Date:
Sunday 1st August 2004
Kick Off: 3.00pm (GMT)
Venue: St. James' Park
Ref: Neale Barry
Comp: Pre-Season Friendly (Newcastle Gateshead
Cup Final) |
| Pre-Season
Match Preview In Association With Toon
Ale |
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 Tin
Pot or not...
After yesterday's exciting 4-2 thriller over Rangers at St. James'
Park United go into this match against Sporting Lisbon with a chance
to win our second Pre-Season pot having picked up the United Christian
Medical Service Charity Challenge Cup over in Hong Kong after beating
Kitchee 7-6 on penalties.
And it was a shoot-out success that sent the Portuguese club whom
we paid 8.5m for Hugo Viana in the Summer of 2002 and then loaned
him back a few weeks ago, into today's Newcastle Gateshead Cup final.
Sporting of course beat former manager Ruud Gullit's Feyenoord 4-3
on pens after the game ended 1-1.
Can we expect more thrills, spills and excitement in this match? Well
with the possibility of all 3 of our Summer signings out on show I
don't know about you but I'm excited. I can't wait to see Patrick
Kluivert in a Toon shirt and I'm really looking forward to seeing
James Milner, a player with two gifted feet and a seemingly equally
gifted footballing brain. And what of Nicky Butt? Well his 45 minutes
yesterday whetted the appetite for more. Although he had a relatively
easy and unspectacular half - isn't that what he is all about? And
isn't that what's so damn good about his arrival?
Who will Bobby play, where will he play who? With only 5 fit defenders,
of which 4 of them: Hughes, O'Brien, Bramble and Bernard all started
yesterday and the 5th, young Kris Gate come on as a very very late
substitute (90th minute) so it will be interesting to see what happens
at the rearguard.
Knowing Bobby we could see Shola playing right-back and Dyer as the
centre-half...
Seriously this is an important 90 minutes if a trifle meaningless
in terms of the eventual result so no sobbing when we lose on penalties
after a 5-5 draw OK.
Come on Newcastle! Isn't it great as a supporter to get back into
the swing of things, to pull on the Black & White shirt, head
down Barrack Road, chat to mates, stop in at the Black Bull for a
pint or two, make your way to the Turnstiles and enter the Cathedral
on the Hill...thank god the Season starts in 14 days time. We've had
the crappy Euro 2004, a few months of hellish, will he, wont he, no
he wont, hold on he's coming...nah he's not, yes he has - transfer
activity (hopefully there will be more) and now in our penultimate
Pre-Season game the light at the end of the tunnel is shining.
And judging from yesterday's lets refrain from hoofing the ball and
play some football performance maybe that light will last the full
9 months this time.
Jonathan Woodgate, Jermaine Jenas, Robbie Elliott, Steven
Taylor & Shay Given all miss this game as does Darren Ambrose
after picking up a knock against Rangers. Patrick Kluivert will make
his debut although it remains to be seen whether he will start the
game or come on as a sub. James Milner is also expected to make his
home debut and likewise it's not yet known whether he will start or
not.
With only 5 fit defenders, 4 of which played against Rangers, it looks
as if the majority of them will play their second match in 24 hours.
United squad:
Harper, Hughes, Bramble, Elliott, Bernard, Brittain, Dyer, Bowyer,
Milner, Shearer, Ameobi, Caig, Gate, McClen, Ramage, Butt, Chopra,
Kluivert.
| Sporting Lisbon
Squad & Team News |
The following squad was assembled to take on Feyenoord yesterday:
Tiago, Ricardo, Miguel Garci'a, Polga, Hugo, Beto, Paíto, Tinga, Custódio,
Rogério, Moutinho, João, Niculae, Pablo Sergio, Douala, Rui Jorge,
Pinilla, Tello.
No inuries to report of.
| Last Meeting At St. James'
Park (Competitive Match) |
NUFC 1-0 Sporting Lisbon Fairs Cup 2nd Round Second Leg (Nov
20th 1968)
Having drew 1-1 in the first away leg of our Fairs Cup second round
match against Sporting Lisbon United finished off the Portuguese side
winning 1-0 in the return at St. James' Park thanks to a Bryan 'Pop'
Robson goal in front of 53,747 who had packed into the Old Gallowgate.
A win which sent Newcastle into the third round where we faced Real
Zaragoza.
| |
Newcastle United wins |
Draws |
Sporting
Lisbon wins |
| Fairs Cup |
1 |
1 |
0 |
| Total |
1 |
1 |
0 |
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