BRUNO GUIMARAES is preparing to tackle his next opponent ahead of a monster 12,500 mile slog… JET LAG!
Newcastle’s Brazilian skipper, 27, produced a moment of magic to fire Toon to victory over Nottingham Forest to make it two wins on the spin ahead of the international break.
Now Guimaraes and team-mate Joelinton, 29, will embark on a gruelling round the world trip as they look to seal their spots in Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil World Cup plans.
The pair are due to arrive in Seoul – for the second time in the space of three months after Newcastle’s pre-season trip there – to link up with their national pals this afternoon on Tuesday
After Friday’s friendly with South Korea, they’ll board a flight for a 780-mile journey to Tokyo to play Japan next Tuesday in another warm-up game prior to next summer’s showpiece.
Then the Samba stars will embark on the gruelling 5768 mile venture back to the North East where they’ll have less than 48 hours to prepare to face Brighton – which includes another 353 mile trip to the South Coast – on October 18.
Guimaraes said: “The international break has not come at a very good time for us, because we just want to keep going. But now we have to go to the international, play well and come back fit because we have a very important game when we come back.
“I’m going to South Korea, it’s crazy. But yeah, we have to go there. Playing for my country is always a reason to be proud though for me. But it’s a little bit far away.
“The most important thing now is to get the jet lag right. Go there, train well. It’s important for us as well to be there with our national team and most important is to stay fit.”
On the mega travel schedule his midfield Samba stars have, boss Eddie Howe said: “I’m glad I’m not going with them!
“What those players do to play for their countries, to have to travel those kind of distances… I know it sounds easy – you go and play for your country, you’re going to fly halfway across the world…
“It’s a privilege – and don’t get me wrong, the players know that – but it’s hard and it’s hard on their brains, their bodies. But what I love about those two individual players is when they come back to us after those journeys, they come back with such a passion to play for the club again, they’re pleased to with their team-mates and they’re really focused on what we need to do, they’re not reflecting back on what they’ve just done.
“They’re incredible people and I hope they return safely and in the condition that they’ve left.”
Nick Woltemade’s penalty sealed the points against Forest, making it four goals in five starts for the 6ft 6in giant German, as he became only the third player to score in each of their first three home Premier League matches for Toon.
Guimaraes said: “Nick has been amazing for us. He’s scoring, but it’s not just that he’s scoring goals, it’s in the build-up and the way he drops as a number ten to play. I have never seen a player that tall be so good with the ball, controlling it and controlling the tempo. He can play as a midfielder to be fair.
“He’s still young too. The gaffer is developing his talent. It’s just the beginning, he will shine even more. He’s scoring goals and is doing what the number nine has to do. He’s doing his job very well.”
Meanwhile, 24-year-old Malick Thiaw, a £35m summer acquisition from AC Milan, and Sven Botman, 25, have looked unbeatable as a centre-back pairing over the past two matches.
And Guimaraes admits that he had no idea just how good Woltemade’s fellow German Thiaw was.
He added: “What a player. He surprised me a lot. Very good with and without the ball as well. So quick, smart, breaking lines.
“Him and Sven are the future of this club. They’re very good. They’re very comfortable with the ball and don’t feel the pressure. They have been amazing together.”
Meanwhile, Howe revealed Lewis Hall suffered another injury setback after just returning from five months out with a broken foot.
The left-back came off the bench in last week’s 4-0 Champions League win over Union SG but was left out of the squad for Forest.
Howe said: “He felt his hamstring against Union, which was a real blow for us. We’ve been trying to manage him back. Unfortunately, he just felt something in that game.
“We’ve had it scanned. Before we get conclusive evidence of how long he’ll be out, he needs another re-scan in about 10 days. So it’s not going to be a short-term injury. We hope it’s not going to be a long-term injury, but we sort of don’t know yet.”
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