Newcastle vs Liverpool: New Managers, Old Rivalry
New faces in the dugout, old scars in the stands. St James’ Park is not easing itself into the new Premier League season.
On Sunday, Newcastle and Liverpool collide in a fixture that rarely tiptoes anywhere. This time, it throws two debutant managers straight into the fire.
New era, same intensity
Matthias Jaissle has swapped Al-Ahli and Saudi heat for Tyneside rain and expectation, stepping into the sizeable shoes of Eddie Howe. Across the technical area, Andoni Iraola begins life as Liverpool manager after Arne Slot’s brief, ill-fated spell ended in the sack.
Both are inheriting pressure as much as squads.
This game rarely disappoints. Last season’s meeting produced yet another slice of chaos: Rio Ngumoha, still 16, came off the bench and stole it in the 10th minute of stoppage time, becoming Liverpool’s youngest ever goalscorer. That’s the sort of late drama this fixture seems to specialise in.
Kick-off is at 4.30pm BST on Sunday, August 23, live from St James’ Park. In the UK, Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League carry the broadcast, with coverage from 4pm.
Newcastle stripped back and reshaped
Jaissle’s first team sheet will tell its own story. Key pillars of Newcastle’s recent resurgence are gone.
Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes and Anthony Gordon have all been sold, ripping out the spine and spark of Howe’s side in one window. Joelinton, usually the glue in midfield, is also unavailable after a groin injury. Tino Livramento, still recovering from the calf problem that ruled him out of the England World Cup squad, remains sidelined.
So the rebuild starts immediately.
New signings Sean Steur and Aladji Bamba are pushing hard to be thrown straight in, while Amar Dedic is another fresh face hoping for a debut. Between the posts, summer arrival Lukas Hornicek is expected to get the nod ahead of Nick Pope.
It is a bold, brisk reset for Jaissle. The question is whether it holds under Liverpool’s press.
Liverpool’s own surgery
Iraola does not get a gentle introduction either. He arrives at Anfield with absentees of his own and a squad in transition.
Hugo Ekitike, Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni are all long-term misses, trimming options at both ends of the pitch. Pre-season, though, offered some clues.
Jeremy Jacquet impressed in the win over Como and is now in a straight fight with loan signing Ronald Araujo to partner Virgil van Dijk in central defence. That is a big call for a first league game, especially in this stadium, against a fanbase that feeds off any hint of uncertainty.
Curtis Jones is heading to Inter, opening the door for Trey Nyoni. The youngster caught the eye in pre-season and should see more minutes this year, even if this one likely starts with his name on the bench.
Up front, the change is even starker. Mo Salah has gone, and the right flank now belongs to Ngumoha, the teenager who stunned Newcastle last season. Same fixture, new responsibility.
Keegan remembered, Isak targeted
Emotion will run thick before a ball is kicked. St James’ Park will pause to celebrate the life of Kevin Keegan, a legend for both clubs, who died last month at 75. Few figures have shaped the modern identities of Newcastle and Liverpool quite like him, as player, manager and symbol.
Once the tributes end, the mood will turn.
Alexander Isak returns to the north-east for the first time since forcing his move away from Newcastle last summer. The Toon Army does not forget, and it certainly does not forgive quietly. Every touch will be a test of his nerve as much as his finishing.
The numbers behind the narrative
Liverpool come into this with a grip on the recent history of the fixture that is almost absurd. They have won 14 of the last 19 meetings with Newcastle and drawn the other five. Newcastle have not found a way through that red wall for a long time.
Iraola also brings personal comfort against this opponent. He knows the league and is unbeaten against Newcastle, with three wins and three draws from his previous Premier League encounters.
The bookmakers lean the same way. Liverpool are just odds-on at 10/11 to take all three points. Newcastle are 13/5, with the draw at 3/1. In the wider picture, Liverpool sit as 11/2 third favourites for the title.
Goals tend to pour rather than drip when these two meet, and this one looks no different on paper. Liverpool to win and both teams to score at 21/10 fits the pattern of recent years.
Where the value lies
Isak has looked sharp in pre-season, and the narrative almost writes itself: the former hero punishing his old club in front of a furious Gallowgate. At 11/8 to score anytime, plenty will ride that story.
Yet the smarter angle may be elsewhere.
Dominik Szoboszlai will shoulder set-piece duty for Liverpool and strikes a ball as clean as anyone in the league. Corners, free-kicks, late breaks from midfield – he will be in the thick of it. At 7/2 to score anytime, his threat from distance and dead balls offers the better value.
New managers, new line-ups, old rivalry. St James’ Park will not care that it is only the opening weekend. The season’s tone, for both clubs, could be set in 90 frantic minutes.
