Eddie Howe believes that Benfica proved to be the perfect opponents for Newcastle United as they look to warm up for their opening day of the season clash against Nottingham Forest.
The Magpies now have just two more friendly games to go - against Atalanta and Athletic Bilbao - before the visit of newly promoted Forest. And Howe is satisfied with where his team stand after a clutch of pre-season warm-up matches.
Reflecting on last night's defeat in Lisbon, Howe said: "I think when you look at their results over pre-season Benfica have had a very strong start.
