A Season of Change on Tyneside
Newcastle United and Liverpool meet at St James' Park on Sunday, August 23, in the opening fixture of the 2026-27 Premier League season. Both clubs begin the campaign under new management, and the match brings together two coaches making their competitive debuts with their new sides.
Newcastle's summer has been tumultuous. The club lost manager Eddie Howe on July 31, a departure several outlets attributed to frustrations over transfer policy and player sales. His successor, Matthias Jaissle, arrives with no previous experience managing in England. The 38-year-old German spent the last three seasons with Saudi club Al-Ahli, where he won three trophies including the Asian Champions League twice, as reported by the Racing Post and FourFourTwo. He also previously worked at RB Salzburg, winning Austrian league titles.
Jaissle inherits a squad that has been significantly weakened. Key departures include Sandro Tonali, Anthony Gordon, and Bruno Guimaraes, who moved to Arsenal according to FourFourTwo. The same outlet reported that Lewis Hall is rumoured to be a target for Manchester United. Alexander Isak resisted a move to Liverpool, per the Racing Post, but that did not prevent his eventual departure—he left Newcastle last summer and is now at Liverpool, where he is expected to receive a frosty reception on his return to St James' Park, as noted by both FourFourTwo and TechRadar.
Newcastle also ended pre-season without a win in their final three matches, while Liverpool secured a 2-0 victory over Como in their last friendly, according to NewsX.
Liverpool's New Chapter
Liverpool, too, are in transition. Andoni Iraola replaces Arne Slot, having built a strong reputation during three seasons at Bournemouth. The Racing Post noted that Iraola has "more credit in the bank" due to his work on the south coast, while TechRadar reported that he has been tasked with introducing a more dynamic style of play after what it described as "Slot's stasis."
The Reds have departed with several established players—Mo Salah, Andy Robertson, and Ibrahima Konate have all left, according to the Racing Post and TechRadar. Cody Gakpo has been linked with a move to Spurs, per the Racing Post. Incomings include defender Jeremy Jacquet, who has impressed in pre-season, and Ronald Araujo, as reported by both the Racing Post and FourFourTwo.
Despite these changes, Liverpool enter the match as favourites. The Racing Post highlighted that Liverpool are unbeaten against Newcastle in the league since 2015, a fact also cited by TechRadar. Liverpool also won both league meetings between the sides last season, according to syracuse.com.
How to Watch
The match kicks off at 4:30pm BST on Sunday, which is 11:30am ET and 8:30am PT in the United States, 9:00pm IST in India, and 12:30am AEST on Monday in Australia.
In the UK, the game is being shown on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League, with streaming available via the Sky Sports+ app or NOW TV, as reported by NewsX. In the US, USA Network and Telemundo will broadcast the match, with streaming options including fuboTV, YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, and DirecTV—several of which offer free trials, according to FourFourTwo and syracuse.com. Canadian viewers can watch on fuboTV and DAZN, while in Mexico the match is on TNT Sports and HBO Max, per Sports Illustrated. Australian fans can stream via Stan Sport, as noted by TechRadar. In India, Star Sports Select SD and HD will show the match, with live streaming on JioHotstar, according to NewsX.
The referee for the match is Stuart Attwell, with James Bell on VAR, as reported by Sports Illustrated.
The Stakes
Newcastle's absence from European competition this season means they have a midweek Carabao Cup tie against West Bromwich Albion, before travelling to Tottenham Hotspur the following weekend. Liverpool, by contrast, have a free midweek to recover before hosting Nottingham Forest next Saturday, according to Sports Illustrated.
Both teams face questions about squad depth and continuity. Newcastle have lost several key players and will rely on new signings, including Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa, who struggled last season, according to the Racing Post. Joelinton is also facing two weeks on the sidelines, per the same outlet. Liverpool's recruitment is described as "considered," but the Racing Post noted that they will require further reinforcement to mount a serious title challenge.
Despite the uncertainty, the match is expected to be competitive. Sports Illustrated speculated that the encounter could produce "fireworks" and "entertainment," while TechRadar suggested that Iraola's ideas may take time to bed in. The consensus among the outlets appears to be that Liverpool hold the edge, with FourFourTwo predicting a 3-1 victory for the visitors, and the Racing Post recommending Liverpool as the best bet at odds of 10-11.