STAR FOOTBALL PREVIEW Sun: Newcastle v Liverpool

The dawn of two new eras begins at St James’ Park on Sunday afternoon when Newcastle face Liverpool in front of the Sky Sports cameras, writes WILLIAM KEDJANYI.

Both sides have new managers but for the hosts, the loss of Eddie Howe – the man who ended a 56-year wait for silverware – has been compounded by the departures of arguably the team’s three biggest stars, Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimarães.

So, 38-year-old Matthias Jaissle, is charged with bringing some stability back to a club whose fortunes appear to have taken a marked turn for the worse despite having some of the wealthiest owners on the planet.

The German will go a long way to winning over the fanbase if he can galvanise his team to an opening day victory against such strong opponents but injuries to Joelinton, Tino Livramento and Anthony Elanga are not helpful to a squad that already looks thin in numbers and quality.

Newcastle v Liverpool
Premier League – St James’ Park
16:30 Sky Sports

LAST FIVE STATS

HEAD-TO-HEAD
JAN 2026 PREMIER LEAGUE Liverpool 4-1 Newcastle
AUG 2025 PREMIER LEAGUE Newcastle 2-3 Liverpool
MAR 2025 LEAGUE CUP Liverpool 1-2 Newcastle
FEB 2025 PREMIER LEAGUE Liverpool 2-0 Newcastle
DEC 2024 PREMIER LEAGUE Newcastle 3-3 Liverpool

NEWCASTLE
AUG 2026 FRIENDLY Newcastle 1-1 Strasbourg
AUG 2026 FRIENDLY Newcastle 1-2 Leverkusen
AUG 2026 FRIENDLY Newcastle 1-3 Everton
AUG 2026 FRIENDLY Valencia 1-2 Newcastle
JUL 2026 FRIENDLY Bristol City 4-1 Newcastle

LIVERPOOL
AUG 2026 FRIENDLY Liverpool 2-0 Como
AUG 2026 FRIENDLY Liverpool 0-0 Como
AUG 2026 FRIENDLY Liverpool 2-3 Monaco
AUG 2026 FRIENDLY Liverpool 2-4 Leeds
JUL 2026 FRIENDLY Liverpool 1-0 Wrexham

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Andoni Iraola is the man Liverpool have turned to as they attempt to reestablish themselves as genuine title contenders but, much to the chagrin of their supporters, there has been a notable lack of action in the summer transfer window.

That being said, a fully fit Alexander Isak will be like a new signing for the Reds, who will surely be looking for the former Newcastle striker to build a prosperous relationship with Florian Wirtz, who flattered to deceive at times last season but who is expected by many to take his form to another level this term.

Liverpool have impressed in moments in pre-season but they look vulnerable defensively having shipped four against Leeds, three against Monaco and two against Sunderland over the summer.

This game always produces goals and, with attack being the best form of defence for both these two, perhaps it’s the goals markets that offer the best betting opportunities for this fixture.

Over 2.5 Goals is the obvious starting point but odds of 1/2 are not particularly appealing. However, it’s a big jump up to 5/4 for Over 3.5 Goals and that’s a bet that would have collected in four of the last five league meetings between these sides.

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