Newcastle United will take a step up in class during their preparations for the new Premier League season when they face Portuguese giants Benfica on Tuesday night.
Regulars in the Champions League and one of the most well-known names in European football, the Eagles will provide a considerable challenge for Eddie Howe and his Magpies squad.
But there was a time, not so long ago, when a meeting of the two sides was not a pre-season friendly, but in the quarter-final of the Europa League.
Following on from their unexpected fifth place finish under the management of Alan Pardew, the Magpies had seen off the likes of Bordeaux, Club Brugge and Anzhi Makhachkala, United were now just two steps from only the second European final in their history.
They faced a sizable threat against a strong Benfica side as over 3,800 Magpies supporters made their way to the Estadio da Luz to see Pardew’s men fall to a 3-1 defeat, despite taking an early lead through Papiss Cisse.
Tyneside crackled with expectation for the second leg a week later and United looked to overturn that first leg deficit.
NewcastleWorld takes a look at the men that wore black and white on an eventful night in April 2013...
5. Davide Santon
Santon, now 31, was frozen out by Jose Mourinho at Roma last season and is now on the look out for a new club following the expiration of his contract. | AFP via Getty Images
6. James Perch
‘Perchinho’, who missed a big chunk of last season due to a fractured skull, captained Mansfield Town in their League Two play-off final defeat to Port Vale last month. At 36, Perch has agreed to stay on another year with the Stags. | Getty Images
7. Yohan Cabaye
Cabaye officially retired in February 2021, with Saint-Etienne the last club he played for. The 36-year-old is now a sporting coordinator at Paris Saint-Germain, largely focusing on the academy set up. | Getty Images
8. Moussa Sissoko
Sissoko joined Watford from Tottenham Hotspur last summer and was captain as the Hornets suffered relegated from the Premier League. If the rumour mill is anything to go by, it’s likely he’ll move back to France. | AFP via Getty Images