Premier League,
Round 1
Newcastle
NEW
23/08/2026
16:30
Liverpool
LIV
-
Referee
- S. Attwell
Preview for Newcastle v Liverpool
Andoni Iraola says there is a real sense of anticipation as he prepares for his first game in charge of Liverpool this weekend.
The Spaniard was the Merseysiders’ choice to replace Arne Slot, who failed to back up his title-winning debut season in 2024/25. Liverpool finished fifth last term and hopes will be high of an improvement.
Iraola has had a full pre-season to get to know his new squad and is relishing the chance to put that work into practice, starting with a trip to Newcastle.
“I feel excited,” he said. “I can feel it even in the atmosphere when we train with the players, you feel like this week is a little bit different. We have been preparing for friendlies – but this is much different. I’m looking forward to being there on Sunday, feeling the pressure and starting a competition that we like.”
Liverpool have had a mixed pre-season and former Bournemouth boss Iraola admits he is not quite sure how ready they are.
“It is difficult to say. We are not at 100%, but I am happy in the sense that I think we are at a level where we can compete, win games and still be a good team,” he added.
“We definitely need to improve. We will improve. We will try to do it as quickly as possible, but there are always processes.
“I think you never really know where you are in pre-season. You change the team a lot and you do not know whether other teams have become a little stronger or weaker.
“For me, friendlies are a good reference, but not as good as the real thing, which starts on Sunday, and I think we are in a good place.”
Alexander Isak is set to make his first return to Tyneside since his acrimonious departure last summer and will most likely start in a front three that could also feature Rio Ngumoha and Cody Gakpo.
There have been more players leave Newcastle this summer with Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes all getting their wish to move on.
It leaves new boss Matthias Jaissle in a difficult situation but the German is not willing to listen to those that have tipped Newcastle to have a difficult season.
“I don’t know because I don’t know how they rank us or how they rank me. To be honest, with all the respect, I don’t care,” he said. “It’s not something I can influence the opinion of others. We are good in our approach and we can only focus on what we can influence and that will be the same on this whole journey with this team.
“To bring the sense of that, in the room, I think it’s smart from us to avoid the negativity from outside, and there is negativity. You read the newspapers, the media, the social media in particular.
“So for us, the job is to focus on what we can influence. Control the controllables. This is our approach. We have a couple of days left to prepare in our best way for the match against Liverpool. We can then deliver in the best possible way at that stage.”
Team News for Newcastle v Liverpool
Tino Livramento and Joelinton are injured but Dan Burn and Lewis Miley could feature after playing 45 minutes in pre-season games last weekend. New signing Amar Dedic is expected to start at right-back.
Conor Bradley (knee), Giovanni Leoni (knee) and Hugo Ekitike (Achilles) are all sidelined for Liverpool, as is Joe Gomez who sustained a muscle problem in pre-season.
Expected line-ups for Newcastle v Liverpool
Newcastle: Hornicek; Dedic, Thiaw, Botman, Hall; Ramsey, Steur; Elanga, Wissa, Barnes; Osula
Liverpool: Alisson; Frimpong, Jacquet, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Szoboszlai; Ngumoha, Wirtz, Gakpo; Isak
Recent Form & Stats for Newcastle v Liverpool
- Newcastle have not won any of their last 19 Premier League games against Liverpool
- Newcastle haven’t lost their opening Premier League fixture of a new season since 2021
- Liverpool are unbeaten in their last 13 Premier League openers
- Liverpool lost four of their last five Premier League away games last season
- New Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola did not lose any of his last 18 Premier League games in charge of Bournemouth
Where to Watch Newcastle v Liverpool: TV and online streams
Newcastle versus Liverpool kicks off at 4.30pm UK time on Sunday afternoon. You can watch it on Sky Sports and stream via Sky Go.
If you live outside the UK, click HERE for details of how to watch the game in your region.
Prediction for Newcastle v Liverpool
It has been a pretty awful summer for Newcastle with three key players leaving, as well as boss Eddie Howe.
It appears the perfect opener for Liverpool and Iraola.
Newcastle
1 – 4
Liverpool
