Eddie Howe's pre-season preparations will be taken up a notch when Newcastle take on Benfica later this evening. The Portuguese outfit will be the toughest test of the Magpies' pre-season schedule so far, with the Eagles having played Champions League football last season and will go through the qualifying rounds later this season.
Newcastle will head to the Estádio da Luz looking to prove they can compete with some of thee best sides in Europe following their takeover last season. The Toon have spent in the region of £180million since the January transfer window, but are looking to bolster their forward line before the beginning of the Premier League campaign.
It's unlikely there'll be any new faces through the door this evening as the Magpies look to get their hands on the Eusebio Cup. Here's everything you need to know about this evening's game.
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Where is the game and what time is kick-off?
Kick-off at the Estádio da Luz will be at 8pm this evening as Newcastle head back to the ground where they last played Europa League football. The Magpies were beaten 3-1 by the Eagles in Portugal despite taking the lead through Papiss Cisse before drawing the second-leg of the Quarter-Final at St. James' Park.
Will the game be broadcast on television?
NUFC TV will be broadcasting the friendly for free this evening.
Premier Sports will be broadcasting the game live with coverage beginning from 7pm. The game is live on Sky channel 412, Virgin channel 551, the Premier Player and via Amazon Prime. Customers can subscribe from £9.99 here.
Alternatively, you can follow all the action from this evening's game in our live blog on Chronicle Live from 4pm.
What is the Eusebio Cup and which sides have competed for it?
The Eusebio Cup was first held in 2008 by the Portuguese side to honour former player Eusebio who handed the trophy to the winners each season, prior to his death in 2014. Inter Milan won the inaugural competition with a penalty shootout win over Benfica.
Tottenham Hotspur are the only English side to have lifted the silverware in 2010, with North London rivals Arsenal falling to a 2-1 defeat in 2011. Ajax, Real Madrid and AC Milan are among some of the European heavyweights to have competed for the cup in the recent past.
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