Pre-season: Match Preview/Stats/Thread: NUFC v Leeds (A)
By Tyne-Talk
July 31 2011
Newcastle travel to Leeds this afternoon for a 2pm Kick Off at Elland Road for their fifth friendly of pre-season, in-front of a 15,000 strong crowd. It will be the first opportunity manager Alan Pardew has had to bring together his whole squad and field a more complete side ahead of the start of the season.
Pre-season has seen regular players split up with tours in the USA and Holland. Joey Barton and Nile Ranger will link up with the first team having spent the summer touring with the reserves due to Visa issues, whilst Ryan Taylor (groin), Hatem Ben Arfa (ankle), Danny Guthrie (groin) and Shane Ferguson (ankle) are all side-lined through injuries picked up along the way.
Cheik Tiote will not play, after detouring from the USA to Ghana to sort out his visa problems, he is however, expected to return in time for the final pre-season game next weekend.
Yohan Cabaye is expected to return after missing last week’s game.
John Carver said ahead of the game;
“We’ve got a few important players coming back in. Yohan Cabaye trained with the reserves on Friday, as did Ryan Taylor and Joey Barton, Mike Williamson, Danny Simpson and James Perch will all be back too.
The only real absences will be Cheik Tiote, who is sorting out his visa in Ghana, Hatem (Ben Arfa), Shane Ferguson and Danny Guthrie.
I think you’ll probably get more of an idea of where we are in pre-season after this game. It’s a perfect test for us really.”
He told the Gazette;
“Pre-season’s about building up as you go along. We’re building up to Arsenal, and this will be another step up for us.
We’re looking to progress each game, and this is a tough one for us.
It looks as though things are starting to click, and we’re now desperate to get together with the lads who were in Holland.
Yohan had a slight groin strain while there, and could have played in the last game, but we just left him out, and he did some extra training.”
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Leeds United: Lonergan, Connolly, Kisnorbo, O’Brien, Parker, Snodgrass, Howson, Clayton, Brown, Gradel, McCormack.
Subs: Rachubka, Paynter, Bromby, Nunez, Sam, White, Lees, Mendy, Bodor.
Newcastle United : Forster, Simpson, Taylor, Williamson, Tavernier, Cabaye, Barton, Gosling, Gutierrez, Ba, Shola Ameobi, ,
Subs: Krul, Taylor, Best, Vuckic, Sammy Ameobi, Dummett.
Referee: A Haines
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