Where are they now? The last Newcastle United team to face Benfica ahead of pre-season meeting
Newcastle United will travel to Benfica in pre-season to compete for the Eusebio Cup - the club’s first trip to Lisbon since April 2013.
The invitational fixture, which has seen the likes of Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Ajax take part in previous years, is scheduled to happen on Tuesday, July 26 (kick-off 8pm local time).
United’s only competitive meetings with the Portuguese outfit came at the quarter-final stage of the Europa League in the 2012/13 season, in which Alan Pardew’s side lost 4-2 on aggregate over two legs.
The first leg took place at the Estadio da Luz. Papiss Cisse handed the Magpies the lead after 12 minutes but lost 3-1 after goals from Rodrigo, Lima and Oscar Cardozo.
At St James’ Park, Cisse’s strike on 71 minutes threatened a comeback from Newcastle, however a late goal from Eduardo Salvio ended all hope in stoppage time.
Ahead of Eddie Howe’s side’s visit to Portugal, NewcastleWorld takes a look at the last Newcastle United side to play at the Estadio da Luz - and what each player is up to now:
1. Tim Krul
Having left United after 11 years in 2017, Krul enjoyed a short stint at Brighton & Hove Albion before joining Norwich City, where he has spent the last five years flirting between the Championship and Premier League.
2. Danny Simpson
Simpson is well remembered for his shock Premier League title success with Leicester City but recently saw his contract at Bristol City cancelled by mutual consent in March. Since then, he’s appeared as a pundit on BT Sport, mostly covering the Foxes’ UEFA Conference League game.
3. Steven Taylor
The Geordie defender announced his retirement in September last year having enjoyed two spells at New Zealand side Wellington Phoenix and a year in India with Odisha. Taylor is now in charge of UAE club Gulf United, a club Newcastle played in their recent trip to Dubai.
4. Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa
Yanga-Mbwia has been without a club since 2020 after terminating his contract with French giants Lyon. The 32-year-old, however, has confirmed his intention to resume his playing days, likely to be in the Middle East.