Eddie Howe provides Celtic verdict as he sends major Hoops compliment amid weary Newcastle United admission

Newcastle United head coach Eddie Howe admits his men will arrive at Parkhead weary after a gruelling week in Austria.

The Hoops have enjoyed a warm weather training camp in Portugal this week which included victory over Sporting Lisbon in a friendly. They now return home to Parkhead for a battle with Newcastle United, who have been in Austria undergoing their own preparations for the new season.

Those have included a clash against Carlisle United but Howe admits that the Celtic game is a different kettle of fish. He says that with testing fitness sessions ongoing prior to the Hoops game, his Newcastle team will arrive in Glasgow with heavy legs, as he outlined what he expects from the Celtic clash.

Eddie Howe verdict on Celtic vs Newcastle United

He told club media: “We'll have a single session on Friday. Try and get the lads in a decent physical condition for Celtic, albeit they're probably going to the game slightly jaded. We hope to produce a good performance in front of what will be, as we know, a passionate home support, but also a bigger away following.

“I think when you look at our pre-season games, every game's a test. You know, Carlisle was a test because they were two weeks ahead of us in terms of fitness. So that was a really good workout in our first game. This will be a big step up in terms of opposition. And then, of course, we go into the tour of South Korea and Singapore with Arsenal, Tottenham and various other challenges, finishing with Atletico Madrid, which is a game we're all looking forward to.”

How Newcastle United pre season preparations are going

Howe added: “They've come back in with a very good focus. We had a smaller group to start with, then the internationals returned in time for this trip. We're really pleased with the training. It's been intense, as always, but really high quality. The players look like they're very driven and very single-minded in their approach this season. So, yeah, so far, so good.

“Just because they had an extended season with the international calendar. So a lot of those guys stayed on and trained, and they have to stay fit for their countries, played. So really, their breaks are sort of around three weeks. We've talked to individual players to see if they needed a little bit longer. We always tailor it to the individual. So we're happy that when they come back in, they come back refreshed and ready to work. So we have no issues and they've all come back in really good shape.

“The facility is excellent. I mean, lovely hotel. You can see we're right in the heart of mountain and forest land. Pitches have been good. Weather perhaps not what we expected. We expected it to be hot and it hasn't been so far. It's been pretty similar to this overcast and a bit drizzly. So I think the players will be pleased with that, maybe us less so. But no, I think we have everything we need. Being a little bit of team building , so trying to keep the players interested.”