After securing a fantastic fourth-placed finish in the J1 League last campaign, their highest since placing third in 2016, Urawa would have been hoping to mount a charge further up the table this time around.
However, that has been far from the case for Urawa so far in 2024, underwhelmingly sitting in 10th place with just 33 points from 24 matches, taking nine wins, six draws and nine losses.
A disappointing start to the campaign saw them pick up only four wins and five losses from their first 11 fixtures, but a run of three wins and a draw in their following four matches indicated they were beginning to find their footing.
Urawa could not maintain that momentum though and have only managed two wins in their last 10 matches across all competitions, including a 4-3 loss to Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo, the league’s bottom-placed team, in their most recent game.
This game against Newcastle comes in the middle of a two-week break in J1 League fixtures, giving Urawa the much-needed opportunity to improve on the training ground, and a positive performance against Premier League opposition could see a turn in fortunes for the Red Devils.
For Newcastle, this friendly marks the beginning of their trip to Japan, with their schedule also including a game against last season’s J1 League runners-up, Yokohama F. Marinos, later in the week.
Eddie Howe‘s side have already played three matches in their pre-season preparations: beating Tottenham Hotspur on penalties after a 1-1 draw just three days after the Premier League season ended, then suffering an 8-0 loss to an A-League All Stars side, albeit with a second-string side, and most recently defeating Hull City 2-0 in their most recent outing.
STREAM LINKS >>> Stream 1 Stream 2 Stream 3
After securing Champions League football with a fourth-placed finish in 2022-23, Newcastle failed to reach the same heights in the last campaign as they finished seventh in the league, failing to qualify for any European competition due to Manchester United’s FA Cup victory.
Howe will be looking for his side to build upon their victory over Hull City in their upcoming friendlies against Urawa, Yokohama, Girona and Stade Brest ahead of a campaign where he will be aiming to return to the top four.
