Newcastle 0-1 Mainz 05: Magpies beaten by Bundesliga opponents in low-key encounter in Austria with Eddie Howe left sweating over the fitness of Fabian Schar after the Swiss defender limped off
- Newcastle fall to defeat against Mainz in Austria in sternest pre-season test yet
- Club had won previous two pre-season encounters before meeting with Mainz
- Magpies left sweating over the fitness of Fabian Schar after he limped off
Newcastle were beaten 1-0 by Bundesliga outfit Mainz 05 in a low-key encounter in Austria that wrapped up their central Europe pre-season preparations before they head to Portugal.
With the club in its first summer with the new Saudi Arabia-backed owners, optimism has been sky high in the North East over the fortunes of the club this coming season.
The Magpies came into the clash with Mainz, who finished eighth in the German top flight last season, off the back of successive wins against Gateshead and 1860 Munich with pre-season having got off to a promising start under manager Eddie Howe.
Newcastle were beaten 1-0 by Mainz 05 in what was possibly their sternest pre-season test yet
Such wins had only added to the excitement on Tyneside of what might be this season, and the Mainz clash offered the club an early opportunity to see where they lay ahead of their domestic season kicking off on August 6.
Howe’s side, however, were brought slightly back down to Earth following two comprehensive results prior to this encounter by Delano Burgzorg’s second half strike that consigned Newcastle to their first defeat of pre-season.
Significantly, the goal came seconds after centre-back Fabian Schar was forced to withdraw after pulling up. He was replaced by January signing Dan Burn and Newcastle fans will be sweating over the fitness of their Swiss defender with only weeks to go until the Premier League season restarts.
The sweltering heat in the Austrian alps made it a tough encounter for both sides
All the notable moments, therefore, came in the centre of defence for Newcastle with Sven Botman, the club’s most notable summer signing thus far, making his first start for the club.
It is likely he will line up alongside Schar this coming season, with the partnership expected to provide Newcastle the bed rock to secure a higher league finish under Howe this coming campaign.
Howe started with a side containing a number of the club’s established first team stars and looked to press their German opponents from the outset. The midfield Joelinton, Bruno Guimaraes and Sean Longstaff provide Howe’s side with an abundance of energy in the centre of the park and that was in evidence at the Kufstein Arena on Monday afternoon.
Manager Eddie Howe sent out a strong line up including a number of established first team starters
That early pressure failed to hold true, however, and Mainz slowly began to gain a foothold in the game. An Anton Stach free-kick had Martin Dubravka scrambling with the Slovakian doing well to keep the Bundesliga side at bay.
Joelinton, who came to embody the revolution under Howe and the new Saudi-backed owners in the second half of the season, went close with an effort.
Nevertheless, after Schar went down with what appeared to be a hamstring injury and Mainz doubled the pain for Newcastle, Howe’s side toiled but struggled in the game.
With pre-season fixtures remaining against Benfica, Atalanta and Athletic Bilbao, Newcastle will know there is still work to be done ahead of their 2022-23 curtain raiser with Nottingham Forest.
Newcastle will be sweating over the fitness of centre-back Fabian Schar after he went off injured with a suspected hamstring injury
