Newcastle United were expecting a scorcher in their opening friendly match of the club's mini tour of Austria in their game against 1860 Munich. But local weather forecasts for Saalfelden could make for interesting conditions.
The Magpies have been training in sweltering conditions at their boot camp in the backdrop of the Alps and hopes of slightly cooler conditions for the clash against the third tier German side may yet be boosted. The kick off time was brought forward last week with the heat a cause for concern at one stage.
It means Friday's game starts at 2.30pm local time as opposed to the original 6pm slot. The local weather bulletin though reads: "In the afternoon, downpours and isolated thunderstorms are expected especially in the mountain districts."
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It wouldn't be the first time Newcastle have played in monsoon conditions in Austria, in fact their last game on Austrian soil, a 1-1 draw with Fenerbahçe back in 2012 was played amid a total downpour. Back then Davide Santon infamously made a slide tackle and ended up wiping out a steward!
Howe has been putting his players through their paces with double sessions and the temperature could be as high as 32 degrees here tomorrow. One thing to note is that 1860 Munich are at the end of their pre-season schedule so will be in a different place fitness wise.
Nevertheless, Premier League quality against a third division German side should be enough to see Howe's team through the game as far as a result is concerned. United beat Gateshead 5-1 at the weekend behind closed doors and Howe admitted he was disappointed it took his side so long to start showing sharpness in the final third.
That has been one of the aspects Howe and his coaching team have focused on this week in Austria with some intense finishing sessions at their Saalfelden base. The game at the Saalfelden Arena is likely to see Howe give most of his squad a run out but despite the pre-season nature of the contest, Howe has been keeping selection close to his chest.
But the fixture may see the likes of Elliot Anderson, Kell Watts and Matty Longstaff get another chance to impress. Whether Newcastle's main signing Sven Botman gets his debut against 1860 Munich remains to be seen.
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