Newcastle United continue their preparations for the new season with a friendly against Italian side Atalanta at St. James’ Park on Friday. The Magpies are set to face two matches in as many days as they then host Athletic Bilbao less than 24 hours after the game with Atalanta on Saturday.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s side will provide Newcastle with another difficult test following the 3-2 defeat at Benfica on Tuesday. It is the second time in succession they will be going up against a team from last season’s Champions League.
But one interesting subplot to Friday’s game with Atalanta is the chance to see defender Merih Demiral in action. The Turkish international will be keen to show Newcastle what they missed out on after their reported interest earlier in the transfer window.
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The Magpies took a closer look at the centre-back last season during his loan spell with Atalanta and headlines in Italy are suggested that the 24-year-old is a defensive option for Newcastle. After Atalanta failed to qualify for Europe, there were question marks on transfer funds for the Serie A side.
However, in June, Atalanta were able to exercise their €20 million permanent option and acquire him from Juventus once again after an impressive campaign last time out in which he made 42 appearances across all competitions. Of course, Newcastle moved quickly onto other targets anyway as they secured the capture of Sven Botman from Lille.
If selected, though, Friday could provide fans with the chance to see what they could have had, vs what they have.
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