Newcastle opened their pre-season with a 2-0 victory over Hull City on July 27, before heading to Japan for their pre-season tour, with their opener coming against Urawa Red Diamonds on Wednesday.
Eddie Howe‘s side proved to be too strong for their opponents, with Jacob Murphy scoring twice in a 4-1 success, while Alexander Isak and Lewis Hall were also on the scoresheet for the Magpies.
Yokohama, meanwhile, are 24 matches into their domestic campaign, picking up 32 points to sit in 11th position in the J1 League table.
John Hutchinson‘s side have therefore paused their league season to play this glamour friendly, and they will enter the contest off the back of three straight wins, including their last two in J1 League.
Yokohama will be back in league action against Consadole Sapporo on August 7, but there is no downplaying the importance of this match against a Newcastle outfit that are now attempting to establish themselves as a powerhouse on the world stage.
Tricolor are one of the most successful teams in Japan, having won the top-flight title on five occasions, and they finished second last season, seven points behind the champions Vissel Kobe, but it has been a struggle during the current campaign.
Newcastle will now take on Yokohama F Marinos on Saturday, before returning to England for their final two pre-season matches of the summer against Girona and Brest on August 9 and August 10 respectively.
The Magpies will then begin their 2024-25 Premier League campaign against Southampton on August 17, and the team will be hoping to push towards the top four next term, having finished seventh in last season’s Premier League table to miss out on European football in 2024-25.
Newcastle have made four signings this summer, with the biggest of those proving to be Hall, who has joined the club on a permanent basis from Chelsea.
Yokohama head coach Hutchinson is expected to give a number of squad players and youngsters opportunities to make their mark in this pre-season clash.
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However, a strong XI is likely to take to the pitch for the first whistle on Saturday, with Anderson Lopes, who has scored 13 league goals this season, expected to operate in the final third.
There should also be a role in the starting side for the number 10 Jun Amano, who was on the scoresheet in the team’s last league match.
As for Newcastle, head coach Howe is likely to name a similar starting XI from the last tour fixture, with changes then being made in the second half.
