The Magpies meet Aston Villa after edging them out of Champions League football last season thanks to superior goal difference.
Nick Pope is between the posts with a defence of Kieran Trippier, Fabian Schar, Dan Burn and Tino Livramento. Bruno Guimaraes wears the armband in midfield, joined by Sandro Tonali and Joelinton.
Elanga, signed from Nottingham Forest for £55 million, is deployed on the right wing with Harvey Barnes on the opposite flank. Anthony Gordon leads the line ahead of Will Osula with Alexander Isak absent.
Isak has declined to feature for Newcastle as he attempts to push through a transfer to title holders Liverpool.
At Friday’s media briefing, head coach Eddie Howe stated: “No, the situation remains the same. My attention has been on training, on Villa, and in terms of transfers on trying to add new players. That really takes up all of my time.”
When asked whether he requested Isak to be available at Villa Park, Howe said: “Of course, I’ve often said this summer I want him playing, I want him training, and naturally I’ve had those discussions, but the specifics of those talks should stay private.”
Recent £35million recruit Malick Thiaw from AC Milan is among the substitutes, alongside new goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale. Promising Korean teenager Park Seung-soo also earns a bench spot after impressing during pre-season.
Newcastle will shortly confirm the capture of midfielder Jacob Ramsey from Aston Villa, though he misses the clash with his former side as he wasn’t registered with the league in time.
Previewing the Villa encounter, Howe remarked: “They have excellent support, a really strong team. Unai has done an outstanding job, tactically they are superb.
“ Their style of play is well drilled and consistent whether home, away or in friendlies. They’re always tough opponents and if you’re not at your best, they’ll exploit weaknesses.
“As I’ve said before, we’ve had very competitive meetings with them, both positive and negative, and you learn from the defeats. We’ll be fully prepared for what will be a difficult match.”
