Newcastle v Liverpool: A New Era Begins on Tyneside

St James’ Park gets the curtain-raiser treatment for the 2026-27 Premier League season on Sunday, but the two dugouts could not feel more different.

On one side, Matthias Jaissle walks into his first competitive game as Newcastle United head coach, charged with lifting a fanbase that spent most of pre-season frowning at the scorelines. On the other, Andoni Iraola brings a Liverpool squad he openly believes is too thin for the demands that are about to hit it.

The season starts here, but both clubs arrive mid-story.

Jaissle’s shaky start, and a restless crowd

Newcastle’s summer has not exactly roared. Three defeats from four friendlies, including reverses against Bayer Leverkusen and Everton, have left questions hanging over Jaissle’s early work. A 1-1 draw with Strasbourg wrapped up a pre-season run of one win, one draw and three losses, with eight goals scored and nine conceded.

That is the context as he steps out at St James’ Park for the first time with points on the line. The hope on Tyneside is simple: the noise turns the mood. The stadium has bailed out plenty of slow starts before.

Jaissle will have to do it without Valentino Livramento and Joelinton, both ruled out through injury. The projected XI is bold and relatively new-look: Lukas Hornicek in goal, a back four of Lewis Hall, Amar Dedic, Malick Thiaw and Sven Botman, with Aladji Bamba, Jacob Ramsey and Harvey Barnes offering legs and craft in midfield. Anthony Elanga, Yoane Wissa and William Osula are tipped to form an energetic, direct front line.

It is not a team short on running. The question is whether it has enough control against a Liverpool side that still carries big-game quality, even if the squad around it looks stretched.

Liverpool arrive lean, and under a cloud

Iraola has not sugar-coated anything. He has said bluntly that Liverpool do not have enough players to compete at the level demanded of them, and the transfer window has not been kind so far.

Brighton have already rejected a second bid for Yankuba Minteh. Paris Saint-Germain’s stance on Ibrahim Mbaye, and the price attached, has thrown that move into doubt. One by one, the doors Iraola wanted to walk through have been nudged shut.

The exits have hurt more. Mohamed Salah’s departure ripped out a defining presence from Liverpool’s forward line and left a scoring void that still gapes. Curtis Jones then sealed a £30 million move to Inter Milan just days before this opener, ending a 16-year spell at the club and stripping away another homegrown piece of the midfield.

There is at least one ray of light. Liverpool have made progress on Bradley Barcola, with talks moving in what has been described as a positive direction. Whether anything is completed in time for this game is another matter. For now, Iraola travels to Tyneside with what he has – and it is less than he would like.

Injuries have bitten hard as well. Hugo Ekitike, Stefan Bajcetic, Conor Bradley, Joseph Gomez, Giovanni Leoni and Vitezslav Jaros are all sidelined. The projected XI still looks dangerous: Alisson Becker in goal; Jeremy Jacquet, Jeremie Frimpong, Virgil van Dijk and Milos Kerkez across the back; Dominik Szoboszlai, Rio Ngumoha and Ryan Gravenberch in midfield; Florian Wirtz operating behind a front two of Cody Gakpo and Alexander Isak.

Lean? Yes. Lacking quality? Not with that spine.

Isak’s return, and a sharp subplot

The sight of Alexander Isak back at St James’ Park, now wearing Liverpool red, adds an edge to an already charged fixture. He knows every blade of grass here, every chant, every pocket of noise. He also knows the defenders he will be trying to unpick.

His duel with Botman and Thiaw will be one of the day’s key battles. Around him, Wirtz and Frimpong bring the kind of technical edge and speed that can turn a tense opener in a heartbeat. For all Liverpool’s worries about depth, the starting XI carries enough threat to quiet a raucous home crowd if they strike first.

Newcastle, though, will sense opportunity. A patched-up Liverpool, away from home on the first day, with a manager calling for reinforcements and a squad still adjusting to life without Salah and Jones – this is the kind of moment a new coach can seize to set a tone.

Recent form and old scars

Pre-season only tells you so much, but it does set a backdrop. Liverpool’s last five warm-up games brought two wins, one draw and two defeats, with seven goals scored and seven conceded. A 2-0 win over Como finished the schedule on a positive note, though a 4-2 loss to Leeds United and a 2-3 defeat to Monaco underlined the inconsistency.

The recent history between these sides is just as mixed, and just as lively. Liverpool hammered Newcastle 4-1 at Anfield in January 2026. Before that, Newcastle had stunned them with a 3-2 win at St James’ Park in August 2025. Liverpool took a 2-0 home victory in February 2025, but the Magpies claimed a 2-1 Carabao Cup success in March that same year. There was also that chaotic 3-3 draw on Tyneside in December 2024.

Across the last five meetings in all competitions, Liverpool hold the edge. Newcastle, though, have proved they can turn this fixture on its head in front of their own fans.

Both clubs finished last season looking up the table rather than down at it. Liverpool ended the 2025-26 campaign in 13th, Newcastle in 16th. Those numbers sting for two clubs of this size. The reset starts now.

How to watch in the United States

For viewers in the United States, the game kicks off at 11:30 a.m. on August 23, 2026.

USA Network will carry the English-language broadcast, with Telemundo showing the match in Spanish. Cord-cutters have several streaming options: Fubo, DirecTV Stream and Sling TV will all show the game live for subscribers.

VPNs and watching from abroad

Travelling or living abroad does not have to mean missing out. A Virtual Private Network (VPN) lets you connect securely and appear online as if you were in another country, helping you access your usual streaming services when geo-restrictions get in the way.

Once you have signed up to a reputable VPN provider and installed the app, you select a server in the country where your chosen broadcaster is based, clear your browser’s cookies if needed, then head to the broadcaster’s site or app and start streaming. The same approach can be used to get the action onto a big screen via smart TVs, streaming sticks or casting from your device.

Opening days do not decide seasons, but they do set tones. For Jaissle, it is the chance to turn a patchy pre-season into a launchpad. For Iraola, it is a test of how far this lean Liverpool can stretch before the transfer window closes.

By the final whistle at St James’ Park, we will know which story has taken the first step in the right direction.