Away from deadline day and the summer transfer window, Newcastle United fans are eagerly awaiting the return of Champions League football.
With huge games like Barcelona at home and another trip to Paris to face PSG, European nights under the lights can’t come soon enough after the slow start we’ve had to the Premier League season.
In our first foray in the competition under the new ‘League Phase’ format, we’re facing an array of top teams and former champions who will each prove to be a formidable test.
However, big changes behind the scenes at one of our future opponents could swing things in our favour…
German giants Bayer Leverkusen have sacked Erik Ten Hag ahead of their Champions League clash with Newcastle after poor results and reports of issues with the players and club hierarchy.
Newcastle travel to Bayer Leverkusen on 10th December for our sixth of eight league phase games, but they will have a new man in the dugout with Ten Hag sacked after jus two league games.
In their official statement, Leverkusen confirmed that “Training will be taken over by the assistant coaching staff for the time being.”
Having managed just three competitive games for the club, ten Hag has now set the record for fewest league matches in charge before being dismissed in Bundesliga history.
The former Manchester United manager only arrived in Germany after Xabi Alonso departed for Real Madrid. And in the side’s most recent game against Werder Bremen, Die Werkself let a 3-1 lead and man advantage slip to draw 3-3.
In just over three months time, we will travel to the BayArena for Matchday 6 of this season’s Champions League.
We played the Germans twice in the 2002/03 group stage, winning both home and away in very convincing fashion, and the game in December could be very similar if Leverkusen take their current form all the way through to the festive period.
Regarding his successor, Spaniards Xavi and Cesc Fabregas have been linked, though the latter looks to be very committed to Como, while out of work Ange Postecoglou and Crystal Palace’s Oliver Glasner are in the running, according to the bookies.
However, the 2023/24 Bundesliga champions and former UCL runners up are still a dangerous side in spite of the recent fire sale that’s happened this window: we will just be hoping that there’s no case of a ‘new manager bounce’ that sees them once again push for the title like they have done the last two seasons.