The €373.5m combined Newcastle United and Villarreal starting XI ahead of Sela Cup clash

Villarreal are about to face Newcastle United in a pre-season friendly at St James’ Park, but what would a combined staring XI look like between the two teams?

The Yellows have just one friendly remaining after their clash with Nice on Saturday, taking on Champions League-bound Newcastle in the Sela Cup on Sunday.

While we won’t learn much from a pre-season clash where both sides will be splitting their teams to accomodate games the day before, Villarreal and Newcastle are two evenly matched teams at this moment in time.

Both are in the 4th-6th range in their respective leagues, and while Newcastle continue to spend amid newfound European success, Villarreal have plenty of players who have been there and done it over recent years, winning the Europa League and reaching the Champions League semi-finals in recent times.

With that in mind, we have put together a combined starting XI, and what a team we have come up with.

Take a look below...

GK - Nick Pope - €20m

Villarreal don’t have a top-level goalkeeper as the search goes on, but Newcastle do have a safe pair of hands in Nick Pope.

RB - Juan Foyth - €25m

Foyth wins the battle on the right. He has performed an exceptional level at right-back for the best part of three seasons now. He is safer defensively than Kieran Trippier, who we will come back to.

CB - Sven Botman - €45m

Botman is getting better and better after his big-money arrival at Newcastle last summer. He gets the nod ahead of Fabian Schar.

CB - Raul Albiol - €2.5m

Newcastle fans may turn their noses up at this one, but anyone who has watched veteran Raul Albiol perform during the last two years will know he is still worthy of this selection. He may lack pace, but he is still as good as anyone when it comes to challenges, leading a back-line and defensive positioning.

Photo by Aitor Alcalde Colomer/Getty Images

LB - Kieran Trippier - €11m

Tripper doesn’t get in ahead of Foyth, but we will shift him to the left, purely because he is a very good player with a lot to offer. Alfonso Pedraza would make it a good competition, but we will go for Trippier on experience.

CDM - Bruno Guimaraes - €70m

One of Newcastle’s key stars, Bruno Guimaraes beats out Etienne Capoue, who has been excellent for Villarreal over the last couple of years.

CM - Alex Baena - €20m

The attack-minded Baena makes it in after a stellar season of last. Baena is the type of creative midfielder Newcastle lack at the moment.

CM - Sandro Tonali - €50m

Tonali was an impressive force for AC Milan and a recent signing of Newcastle’s. He is more conservative-minded, and that would make him a good partner for Baena, who would have licence to bomb on.

LW - Gerard Moreno - €20m

Able to play striker or on the wing, there is no way Gerard Moreno doesn’t get in this team. An elite forward who is one of - if not the - best forwards in Spain when fit.

RW - Yeremy Pino - €40m

Yeremy gets better by the year, and he is head and shoulders above the likes of Almiron - who did impress last year - Jacob Murphy and Harvey Barnes. Simply an elite winger who scores, provides and defends excellently.

CF - Alexander Isak - €70m

We would love to see a front two of Gerard and Isak, but in this system, Gerard is better suited playing wide and Isak up top. The Sweden international was superb in La Liga with La Real, and he has continued his excellent form on Tyneside.

*All values by Transfermarkt.