Newcastle Prepares for Everton Friendly in Edinburgh

Newcastle’s summer steps up a gear on Wednesday with a trip north of the border, as Matthias Jaissle’s side face Everton at Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh.

It’s the Magpies’ fourth public friendly of the summer and comes on the back of a confidence‑building 2-1 win away to Valencia at Mestalla. Three warm-up games remain — including this one — before the real thing starts with a Premier League opener against Liverpool on August 23.

Jaissle’s next look at his new side

The scoreboard still sits behind the stopwatch in importance. This stage of preseason is about sharpness, structure, and understanding what Jaissle wants from his new squad in just his second game in charge.

The German head coach is expected to shuffle his pack from the side that began in Spain. This is the period for experiments, for combinations, for seeing who can carry training-ground ideas into match tempo.

Yoane Wissa has already made his case. The forward scored both goals in Saturday’s win over Valencia and will be pushing hard for a place in the starting XI as he tries to nail down a spot in the first-choice group before Liverpool come to town.

Anthony Elanga will not get that chance in Edinburgh. He is set to miss out after picking up an injury in the Valencia match, a frustration for a player trying to build rhythm before the campaign starts.

Premier League test in a rugby cathedral

Murrayfield is better known for scrums than high presses, but it offers Newcastle a meaningful yardstick. Facing fellow Premier League opposition at this stage strips away some of the usual preseason caveats and provides a clearer look at where the team truly stand.

Everton arrive having already banked five preseason outings. Their most recent run-out ended in a 3-1 defeat to Stuttgart, a reminder that they too are still ironing out flaws as David Moyes continues to shape his squad for the competitive season ahead.

Both managers will treat this as another data point rather than a defining night. Even so, when two top-flight clubs meet, intensity usually creeps higher, tackles bite a little harder, and players start to sense that places for opening day are on the line.

The countdown to August 23 is ticking. How many more answers will Newcastle find in the Edinburgh evening?