- 1 Newcastle United vs Liverpool: two rebuilds collide straight away at St James’ Park
- 2 Newcastle: a squad stripped of its three biggest weapons
- 3 Liverpool: Iraola’s project starts from a much steadier base
- 4 Premier League Prediction Newcastle United vs Liverpool
- 5 First, a word on our free tips
- 6 No commitment from us
- 7 Information changes
- 8 Your responsibility
- 9 Responsible gambling first
- 10 Legal age
- 11 About the visuals…
Newcastle United vs Liverpool: two rebuilds collide straight away at St James’ Park 
Fourteen wins from 38 league games and a 12th-place finish: that was Newcastle’s 2025-26 record. The numbers tell you everything about where the Magpies stand heading into this new season.
Liverpool arrive with a slightly prettier story, but only just, after finishing fifth and ending up 25 points behind champions Arsenal. So both clubs go into opening day with plenty to prove and a lot to erase.
This is more than just a rough patch on the spreadsheet, because both dugouts have new men in charge this summer. Matthias Jaissle, who has worked at Red Bull Salzburg and Al-Ahli, has replaced Eddie Howe, who left by mutual consent after five years on Tyneside.
For the Reds, Andoni Iraola has taken over from Arne Slot and becomes Liverpool’s 10th manager since the Premier League began. Two fresh projects are being judged from the first whistle, with no settled rhythm to fall back on.
The money side of it only sharpens the gap between the two dressing rooms. Newcastle have banked around 244 million pounds from the sales of Sandro Tonali, Anthony Gordon and Bruno Guimaraes, a trio that shaped their build-up play and most of their attacking threat.
Liverpool lost Mohamed Salah on a free transfer after nine seasons, but chose targeted investment rather than a full-scale rebuild. The difference in approach shows up in the shape of the teams set to line up on Sunday.
Newcastle: a squad stripped of its three biggest weapons 
Fourteen wins in 38 matches is Newcastle’s weakest return since they made it back into European places. That 12th-place finish says plenty about a season spent chasing consistency and never finding it.
The issue now is squad depth rather than momentum. Bruno Guimaraes has gone to Arsenal for 75 million pounds, taking with him the midfield’s organiser and main outlet.
Sandro Tonali has joined Tottenham and Anthony Gordon has also left, wiping out the centre and the left flank in one hit. Three departures of that size in one window are not fixed in a few weeks of pre-season.
The damage actually started 12 months earlier with Alexander Isak’s move to Liverpool, which remains the club’s main attacking benchmark lost. Newcastle now face the club that took their former main man.
There have been replacements, but they look like long-term bets rather than fixes for now. Bazoumana Toure, signed from Hoffenheim for 43 million pounds in the summer 2026 window, has been brought in to fill the left side vacated by Gordon.
Lukas Hornicek arrived from Braga for 25.7 million pounds in the same window, another piece of a longer rebuild. Both still have to prove they can handle the pace and physical edge of English football.
The key issue is the complete lack of collective reference points. Jaissle is taking charge of his first competitive game with a reshaped XI, against an opponent who has not been ripped up in quite the same way.
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Liverpool: Iraola’s project starts from a much steadier base 
Fifth, 25 points behind Arsenal, Liverpool are coming off a failed season by their standards. Having won the title a year earlier only makes the drop-off look harsher on paper.
Iraola does, though, inherit a group that is far better stocked than the one across the touchline. Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz, signed in previous windows, already form the backbone of the attack.
Salah’s exit on a free after nine seasons at Liverpool, and now at Trabzonspor, removes a major reference point on the right. The club decided to spread that output around rather than chase a like-for-like replacement.
The 2026 summer window was built around the defence, with Jeremy Jacquet prised away from Rennes for a fee reported to be between 55 and 60 million pounds. Liverpool also brought in Victor Munoz from Osasuna for 34.5 million.
Ronald Araujo rounds out that area, arriving late in the window on a season-long loan from Barcelona with an option to buy. The aim was clear: steady the back line after the departures.
That gives Iraola a continuity Jaissle does not have. The core has been kept together and upgraded, not torn apart. On opening weekend, that matters a lot.
The tactical unknown is still there, of course, because the Spaniard brings a more vertical style than his predecessor. But the individual quality available should limit the risk of an immediate wobble.
Probable Newcastle United line-up: Not announced at the time of publication.
Probable Liverpool line-up: Not announced at the time of publication.
Premier League Prediction Newcastle United vs Liverpool
Our prediction: Liverpool to win
Newcastle go into this one without Bruno Guimaraes, Tonali and Gordon, the three players who carried the most weight in their output last season. A club that brings in 244 million pounds from sales in those positions is not likely to hit the same level on day one.
Liverpool have kept Isak and Wirtz, have strengthened the defence with Jacquet, Munoz and Araujo, and have lost only one major attacking figure.
The squad imbalance is simply too big to be offset by the noise of St James’ Park on opening Sunday. Liverpool get the nod.
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