Newcastle United's pre-season clash with Benfica next week will be another big test for Eddie Howe's side. The Primeira Liga side finished third in the league last season and reached the latter stages of the Champions League.
Benfica have made an impressive start to their pre-season campaign and will be a stern test for the Magpies, with Nélson Veríssimo's side set to play Champions League football later this season. Darwin Nunez's departure has been one the most talked about transfer sagas since January, with the Uruguayan linked to Newcastle before joining Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool.
However, he's not the first Benfica player to have been linked with a move to St. James' Park. Last summer the Magpies were linked with a move for Rafa Silva, the 29-year-old Portuguese winger who finished second top goal scorer for The Eagles.
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Rafa caught the eye for Portugal at Euro2020 and has been a standout performer in recent years, but a move to Tyneside would not come to fruition with Joe Willock the sole signing of last summers window. Unlike Rafa, Benfica goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos was linked with a move to Tyneside after the Magpies takeover.
That move now seems completely off the table - not that there are any suggestions Newcastle made an official approach - after Nick Pope's arrival. The Greek shot-stopper was born in Germany and came through the youth ranks with Stuttgart before signing for Panathinaikos in 2016. The 28-year-old has been an ever present at the Estádio da Luz after signing in 2018.
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