Head Coach Marc Steutel and his men’s Newcastle Eagles head north of the border to open their SLB campaign for 2025/26. East Kilbride is the destination, PlaySport Arena is the venue and Caledonia Gladiators are the opponents.

A tough opening fixture for Steutel and his charges in what is always a fiercely contested rivalry that has built up over the years with many a memorable contest between the two sides.

On the eve of the season though there’s always optimism, hope and expectancy in all camps and Steutel is no exception to that rule as he previewed the fixture and the forthcoming season.

“All week the team have been looking forward to playing Caledonia and that first game of the season excitement is definitely there”, Steutel said.

“You’ve probably got nine teams in the League that are full of optimism at this point ready to navigate the twists and turns of the season ahead.

“But specifically with my group I feel that we’ve prepared really professionally. We’ve had a week of continuing to build our identity and areas of the game where we want to take pride in.

“I’m excited to see if we can go and bring those things to life against Caledonia on Sunday.”

The Eagles fly up to Scotland for the game having made a late eve of the season change to their roster. Former Cheshire Phoenix standout guard Maceo Jack has been brought in with Caleb Huffman having been released.

“It’s always difficult to make a change at any part. But adding Maceo into the group is a massive boost for everybody”, said the Eagles head coach.

”I think he’s the right player and the right person who fits really well with the group we’ve put together.

“We’re looking forward to seeing him getting acclimated and competing in an Eagles jersey. He’s obviously not had a lot of time to get reps with us this week so that’s a decision for me to manage on Sunday.

“Getting to know Maceo a little bit and understanding that he knows the League there’s no concerns there.”

Turning to Caledonia, Steutel is well aware of the challenge they bring to the court for his team.

Steutel added: “Caledonia are a fierce rival for sure. They have a new permanent coach and it’s a new era in terms of them trying to build their identity and their DNA. We’ve generally had a bit of success up there over the last few years but each year is different.

“We’ve got to make sure that we go up there really be aggressive and we take the game to them. At this stage you can have ideas and game plans but it’s about the team that’s going to execute better on the day.

“No-one is anywhere near their best at this time of the year. I think it’s just going to be about us playing an Eagles game of basketball and if we do that I’m sure we can be successful.”

It is indeed a very intriguing and much anticipated opening game for both sides and it’ll be interesting to see which way the ball bounces in favour of which team.

The Eagles are hoping it will be falling in their favour to get their campaign off to a winning start. Tip-Off at Playsport East Kilbride is at 4pm.

Fan can watch the game live and for free on DAZN.