Newcastle United took on CSKA Moscow in a friendly on Saturday.
Newcastle United are without a competitive fixture until next weekend, so took the time to head off to Spain this week.
The Magpies suffered late heartbreak in the draw at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday, so Rafael Benitez has taken his squad away for some warm weather training.
That has presented Newcastle with the ideal opportunity to get new signings Antonio Barreca and Miguel Almiron up to speed following their January arrivals.
Newcastle, who have been stationed at the La Finca golf resort close to Torrevieja, managed to arrange a friendly with Russian side CSKA Moscow on Saturday, and both Barreca and Almiron started.
Barreca’s afternoon was a little quiet, but Almiron was bright again, teeing up Mohamed Diame with a signature burst forward before Diame blazed over.
Salomon Rondon scored Newcastle’s only goal before Abel Hernandez equalised for CSKA, with the two teams playing out a 1-1 draw at the Pinatar Arena.
Almiron and the rest of the starters were taken off at half time, giving Benitez a chance to get 45 minutes into all of his players – not because Paraguayan ace Almiron ‘flopped’.
Newcastle fans who watched the game were hugely impressed with Almiron, noting how sharp and lively he looked, whilst backing him to cause ‘absolute havoc’ in the Premier League whilst also praising his approach play – only for his teammates to squander the chances he created.
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