BSS
  19 Mar 2024, 12:28

Tottenham to play Newcastle in Melbourne this May

SYDNEY, March 19, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Premier League sides Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United will play a post-season friendly in Melbourne on May 22, the Australian A-League announced Tuesday.

The match takes place just days after the final round of Premier League games on Sunday May 19, when Spurs are at Sheffield United and Newcastle play at Brentford.

Tottenham will face Newcastle at the 100,000-capacity Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Newcastle will also play a friendly match against an A-League All Stars men's team on May 24 at Melbourne's Docklands Stadium, where Arsenal women's team play an All Star A-League team on the same night in a double-header.

"We are privileged to have so many incredible supporters around the world," Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe said in a statement. "It's a chance to be able to play in front of many in Australia who wouldn't ordinarily see the team."

A decision on which players are selected by either Premier League men's team will be made nearer to the time. Both squads will potentially have players preparing for the European championships in Germany where the Euro 2024 finals kick off on June 14.

The friendly against Newcastle means a return to Australia for Spurs head coach Ange Postecoglou, 58, who grew up in Melbourne after moving from Greece with his family as a child.

Tottenham also played a pre-season friendly last July against West Ham in Perth, where Postecoglou started his reign as Spurs coach with a 3-2 defeat.