Newcastle fell 2-1 to Bayer Leverkusen in a friendly at St James' Park on Saturday before a crowd exceeding 39,000. The defeat highlighted the squad's ongoing adjustment following the summer departures of Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimarães.
Head coach Matthias Jaissle identified encouraging signs despite the result, suggesting the team is moving in the right direction. Newcastle face Liverpool in their Premier League opener next Sunday.



