Newcastle United and Wolves open up the 2019 Premier League Asia Trophy at the Nanjing Olympic Sports Centre.
It has been a shambolic summer so far for the Magpies, who begin their pre-season campaign without a manager – much less having signed a player – following the drawn-out departure of Rafael Benitez at the end of his contract.
Wolves, meanwhile, are quietly seeking to build upon a promising 2018-19 season, which will see them return to Europe on July 25 with a tie against either Crusaders or B36 Torshavn.
| Game | Newcastle vs Wolves |
| Date | Wednesday, July 17 |
| Time | 11am BST / 6am ET |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
For UK readers, get your fix on the latest football on TV here! US readers can find out what soccer is on TV here!
In the United States (US), the game will not be broadcast.
| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| n/a | n/a |
In the United Kingdom (UK), the game will be broadcast on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League. It can be streamed via Sky Go.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| Sky Sports Main Event / Sky Sports Premier League | Sky Go |
Squads & Team News
| Position | Newcastle squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Dubravka, Darlow, Woodman, Harker |
| Defenders | Clark, Dummett, Schar, Lascelles, Fernandez, Manquillo, Lazaar, Sterry, Bailey, Watts, Allan |
| Midfielders | Ki, Colback, Shelvey. Ritchie, Hayden, S. Longstaff, M. Longstaff |
| Forwards | Aarons, Murphy, Gayle, Muto |
Newcastle starting XI: Darlow, Sterry, Lascelles, Clark, Lazaar, Hayden, Shelvey, Colback, Murphy, Ritchie, Muto.
Subs: Harker, Woodman, Dummett, Manquillo, Bailey, Fernandez, Schar, Watts, Ki, M.Longstaff, S.Longstaff, Aarons, Allan, Sorensen
| Position | Wolves squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Patricio, Ruddy, Norris |
| Defenders | Bennett, Boly, Otto, Coady, Vinagre, Francis, Kilman, Marques, Miranda, Sanderson |
| Midfielders | Neves, Dendoncker, Moutinho, Gibbs-White, Cundle, Perry, Taylor, Wan |
| Forwards | Jota, Traore, Corbeanu, Ennis, Samuels |
Wolves starting XI: Patricio, Bennett, Neves, Boly, Coady, Gibbs-White, Jota, Otto, Moutinho, Dendoncker, Traore.
Subs: Ruddy, Sanderson, Miranda, Perry, Vinagre, Norris, Cundle, Francis, Marques, Samuels, Taylor, Ennis, Kilman, Hong Wan.
Betting & Match Odds
Wolves are odds-on favourites with bet365 , priced at 19/20. Newcastle can be backed at 11/4, while the draw is 5/2.
Match Preview
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The Premier League Asia Trophy is supposed to be an opportunity for managers to begin to finalise their plans for the forthcoming season, but for Newcastle, matters are rather more complicated as they play their first pre-season fixture of the season against Wolves.
The St. James’ Park side have yet to replace Rafael Benitez in the dugout, and while Steve Bruce appears poised to take over , he faces a massive challenge in filling the void the popular Spaniard has left.
Indeed, Benitez was widely believed to have performed miracles last season to make Newcastle as competitive as they were, and with not a single signing made yet this summer, the club is already playing catch up in a big way.
Just how far they lag their rivals will become clearer after their two-game trip to the Far East, though captain Jamaal Lascelles is looking forward to the challenge.
“We are travelling to China and it's going to be a great experience playing in a completely different country with different surroundings and environment. We are very thankful to be taking part,” he told the club’s official website.
“Winning games will put a marker down and set an example for what we are going to do during the new season.
“I do think every game we play, especially in pre-season, will push us toward a good start of the season. We will be looking to win the games.”
Wolves, meanwhile, are not without question marks themselves this summer, having seen the size of their squad trimmed, with popular players Helder Costa and Ivan Cavaleiro leaving on loan.
The Molineux club are, however, expected to answer these challenges later in the summer, although the situation complicates the early part of their campaign, which will see them thrust into Europa League action.
Nuno Espirito Santo accepts the limitations of his squad before the China trip but has talked up the importance of the matches to his team.
“It going to be tough because we have a very short squad - we brought a lot of boys, U18s to help us,” the Portuguese noted.
“We prepare ourselves, but at the same time we are in a different environment, so we have to be flexible, patient. The Asia Trophy is very important, a very good competition. It's one more step in preparation for the season ahead.”
The winner of this tie will play the winner of the later semi-final between Manchester City and West Ham on July 20 in Shanghai, while the loser will take part in a third-place play-off immediately before that clash.
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