Newcastle look set to qualify for European football this season as Eddie Howe embarks on an excellent campaign at St James’ Park.
Despite a recent blip in form, the Magpies still sit sixth in the Premier League, six points off fourth with two games in hand over Tottenham.
With a return to Europe on the cards for Newcastle, let’s take a look at how the Magpies lined up in their last European outing back in 2013…
Newcastle’s last European game
Well, this feels like it was decades ago.
Newcastle’s last European outing came in the 2012/13 campaign, when Alan Pardew led the Magpies to the UEFA Europa League Quarter-Final.
The second leg, held at St James’ Park, saw Newcastle draw 1-1 against Benfica, which earned the Portuguese giants a 4-2 win on aggregate after a 3-1 win inside the Estadio da Luz.
You can see the starting XI chosen by Pardew for that second leg draw below.
A very interesting lineup – to say the very least.
Pardew opted to start Yohan Cabaye in the No.10 role, with Papiss Cisse leading the line.
Moussa Sissoko and Jonas Gutierrez were deployed on the flanks in front of Massadio Haïdara and Danny Simpson.
Pardew’s midfield was particularly intriguing – strangely, Hatem Ben Arfa was left on the bench.
Gaël Bigirimana – who now plays for Tanzanian Premier League outfit Young Africans – started alongside Vurnon Anita, in what is a far cry from the current midfield of Bruno Guimaraes, Joelinton and Sean Longstaff.
At the back, Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa partnered Mike Williamson, with Tim Krul starting in between the sticks.
With all due respect to that starting XI, the vast differences in Howe’s current team show just how far Newcastle have come in the last decade.
Hopefully, the Magpies can overcome their recent winless run in the Premier League, and get their UEFA Champions League hopes back on track.
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