Will Christian Norgaard make debut in five changes? - Everton predicted XI vs Newcastle
Christian Norgaard could make his debut when Everton face Newcastle on Wednesday.
The Premier League sides will face off in a high-profile pre-season friendly at Murrayfield Stadium in Scotland.
David Moyes will be keen for his side to bounce back from the 3-1 defeat to Stuttgart last time out.
Norgaard was left at Finch Farm and did not feature in that loss, after signing for the Blues earlier this month.
In his only campaign at the Emirates Stadium, he played just seven league matches as they won the title.
Goodison News looks at how the Toffees could line up against the Magpies, with the holding midfielder potentially making his first start.
How could David Moyes set his team up against Newcastle?
Jordan Pickford has not been spotted in training yet after his England exploits, so Mark Travers might get the nod in goal again.
James Tarkowski is predicted to return to the backline, alongside Jarrad Branthwaite, who started against the Germans last time out.
On either side of them, Merlin Rohl and Vitalii Mykolenko are expected to get the nod and complete the defence.
In midfield, Norgaard might get the nod over Tim Iroegbunam to partner Hayden Hackney.
Iliman Ndiaye might return to the starting line-up, in the place of Tyler Dibling on the right-hand side after his 27-minute cameo.
Tyrique George is predicted to start on the left flank, with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall returning in the 10 after featuring for 27 minutes at the MHP Arena.
Finally, Beto is expected to be handed the starting number nine role over Thierno Barry, despite the latter scoring from the penalty spot against the Bundesliga side.
Brennan Johnson is expected to miss out, as he only signed the day before the game and has not had time to prepare.
Why Norgaard must start in Everton vs Newcastle
Norgaard impressed despite sitting on the bench for most of his first season with the Gunners, perhaps no one more so than Mikel Arteta.
Speaking in August 2025, he said: "He played a tremendous role for us. When I brought him here, I said that he could be our glue player – an incredible capacity to bring people together, to keep the standards high."
Given how important he is expected to be for Moyes' side, it makes sense to get him involved as soon as possible.
Starting him against Matthias Jaissle's side makes sense as he will be in the best possible condition in terms of match fitness for when things kick off for real.