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St James' Park, Newcastle
Sunday 23 August 2026, 16:30 BST
Newcastle United open the new Premier League season by welcoming Liverpool to St James' Park on Sunday, and both clubs arrive with a manager who has never taken charge of a competitive fixture at the helm.
Matthias Jaissle has spent the summer restocking a Newcastle squad stripped of Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes, while Andoni Iraola inherits an Anfield rebuild that has already lost Mohamed Salah, Ibrahima Konate and Andy Robertson since May.
Newcastle vs Liverpool: form and preview
Newcastle finished last term in 12th on 49 points, and their pre-season heading into the new campaign brought only one win from five friendlies.
That run included a 4-1 defeat to Bristol City, a 2-1 win over Valencia, a 3-1 loss to Everton and a 2-1 reverse against Bayer Leverkusen, before a 1-1 draw with Strasbourg in their final warm-up ended in a 3-2 penalty shootout defeat.
Nick Woltemade was the closest thing to a bright spot in front of goal last season, his eight Premier League goals from 33 appearances making him the top scorer among players still at the club now that Guimaraes has left for Arsenal.
The summer rebuild has been extensive: Bazoumana Toure arrives for a reported £42.8 million, Lukas Hornicek joins from Braga for £26 million, and Amar Dedic, Aladji Bamba, Sean Steur and Ewen Jaouen have also been added to the pool Jaissle inherited.
That is a lot of turnover for a head coach walking into his first competitive fixture in England, though Jaissle does at least have a habit worth noting: he won his opening competitive match in charge at each of his previous three clubs, Liefering, RB Salzburg and Al Ahli.
Fitness has been the other theme of Newcastle's build-up, with question marks hanging over several defenders and midfielders heading into the weekend.
Liverpool's numbers tell a similarly mixed story: a fifth-placed finish on 60 points, built during a spell in which only Aston Villa and Manchester City managed a longer winning run in the division last season, yet only four teams endured a worse losing streak than Liverpool's own.
Their own pre-season brought a 1-0 win over Wrexham, a 4-2 defeat to Leeds United, a 3-2 loss to Monaco and a goalless draw with Como, before a 2-0 win in the rematch against the same opponents closed out the schedule on a high.
Liverpool's business has been steadier by comparison, with Jeremy Jacquet, Victor Munoz and Ronald Araujo the only new arrivals confirmed so far this summer, the latter joining on loan from Barcelona to add central defensive cover.
Florian Wirtz took time to influence games after his £116 million move from Bayer Leverkusen last summer, but he still finished with five Premier League goals and three assists from 33 appearances, plus a goal and three assists in the Champions League.
Alexander Isak's first season at Anfield was disrupted by injury, limiting him to 14 Premier League appearances and three goals, a modest return by his own standards and one Liverpool will want him to kick on from now that pre-season is behind him.
Sunday also marks the ground where Isak made his name, and Iraola has reason for quiet confidence against this particular opponent given he never lost to Newcastle in six Premier League meetings while managing Bournemouth.
Team news: Newcastle vs Liverpool
Newcastle United
Joelinton remains out with the muscle injury that has kept him sidelined since the back end of pre-season, leaving Jaissle short of an experienced ball-winner in midfield.
Valentino Livramento is confirmed out with the calf injury that has been troubling him through pre-season, while Joseph Willock is a doubt with a groin issue.
William Osula is expected to lead the line, with Yoane Wissa deployed just behind him in an attacking midfield role.
Liverpool
Hugo Ekitike will not feature at all this season until at least January because of an Achilles tendon problem, a significant blow given he arrived to compete for the central striker's role.
Conor Bradley is also missing, while Giovanni Leoni's cruciate ligament injury dates back to early in the 2025-26 season and he is expected to return in early September.
Joe Gomez has been troubled by a strain that Iraola has downplayed as a normal muscle issue rather than anything serious, though he remains a doubt for the opener.
Vitezslav Jaros and Stefan Bajcetic round out the doubts, though neither would be expected to start regardless of fitness.
Alexander Isak trained fully throughout pre-season and is expected to start up front, returning to the stadium where he built his reputation before last summer's move.
Newcastle vs Liverpool: predicted lineups
Probable Newcastle XI (4-2-3-1): Hornicek; Dedic, Botman, Thiaw, Hall; Ramsey, Bamba; Elanga, Wissa, Barnes; Osula.
Probable Liverpool XI (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Frimpong, Van Dijk, Araujo, Kerkez; Szoboszlai, Gravenberch; Ngumoha, Wirtz, Gakpo; Isak.
Head-to-head: Newcastle vs Liverpool
Liverpool have gone unbeaten in their last 19 Premier League meetings with Newcastle, a run stretching back well over a decade and made up of 14 wins and five draws.
The most recent meeting in January ended 4-1 to Liverpool at Anfield, though Isak was not involved that day, meaning Sunday will be his first appearance against Newcastle since completing his move from the club.
Newcastle's solitary win in this fixture across the last five meetings in all competitions came in the Carabao Cup rather than the league, part of a run in which the last five matches produced 21 goals between the sides.
That cup win, in March 2025, was the EFL Cup final itself, the one occasion in this recent sequence when Newcastle came out on top and lifted a trophy in the process.
None of that history changes the raw Premier League numbers, and Jaissle will simply want a first sighting of top-flight form against a side his club have rarely troubled domestically.
Newcastle vs Liverpool: our prediction and betting tips
- Osula to get on the scoresheet for Newcastle before Liverpool's greater squad depth tells
- Isak or Wirtz to combine for at least one of Liverpool's goals
- Newcastle to continue their pattern of conceding at least once, a habit that has run through their last six pre-season friendlies
- Iraola to open his Liverpool reign with a win, extending his unbeaten record against Newcastle
Sunday's fixture list of new bookmaker sign-up offers can help punters look further afield, and the newly launched UK betting sites we track are worth a look before kick-off.
Football remains the busiest market for most punters over the opening weekend, and our best football betting sites UK ranking breaks down the operators best suited to Premier League markets.
For readers who want more coverage like this across the rest of the weekend, our sports betting tips hub is updated throughout the season.
New customers weighing up where to bet on this one can compare a full spread of markets through our William Hill bookie review, which sets out what to expect from the sportsbook.
New customers signing up before the weekend can also check the William Hill welcome offer for the latest terms available.
Ellis has been working as a freelance sports writer since graduating from University in 2023. He is especially passionate about football, with a particular love for Manchester United.