Newcastle Start Miley, Ramsey and Murphy; Tonali Benched

Eddie Howe made three changes for Newcastle's Champions League tie with Benfica, starting Lewis Miley, Jacob Ramsey and Jacob Murphy while Sandro Tonali was named only on the bench and Joelinton and Anthony Elanga were left out of the XI. Benfica also rotated, restoring goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin, captain Nicolás Otamendi and midfielder Richard Ríos after they were rested in the Portuguese Cup. Howe said his players "need this game", described Tonali as "touch and go" and admitted his side are desperate for a win after the weekend defeat to Brighton amid a period of squad transition. The fixture evokes memories of the dramatic 2013 St James' Park meeting and comes as Newcastle seek to arrest inconsistent home form in the Champions League.