Newcastle United vs Liverpool: Opening-Day Preview 2026

Key Points

• Newcastle United play against Liverpool at St James’ Park in an early Sunday clash scheduled for 4.30pm BST on Sunday, 23 August.
• Both sides start the season with zero points, with the game marked as Newcastle’s and Liverpool’s opening Premier League game of the new season.
• Newcastle have not won any of their 19 Premier League games played against Liverpool, with five draws and 14 losses in these games.
• Liverpool have been unbeaten in their last nine Premier League matches at St James’ Park, having won six and drawn three.
• The fixture has witnessed a total of 198 Premier League goals being scored; two more will make it the third Premier League fixture to hit 200 Premier League goals.
• Match facts at BBC Sport have Matthias Jaissle as the manager of Newcastle and Andoni Iraola as the manager of Liverpool.
• Alexander Isak might be making his Premier League debut against Newcastle after moving from Newcastle to Liverpool in 2025.

Liverpool (Liverpool standard) August 22, 2026 — Newcastle United vs Liverpool will bring two clubs starting the new Premier League campaign together at St James’ Park on Sunday, 23 August, with the match due to begin at 4.30pm UK time. The BBC Sport fixture page lists both sides on zero points before their opening league matches and identifies the game as an early test for Newcastle manager Matthias Jaissle and Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola.

What is at stake in Newcastle United vs Liverpool?

Newcastle United will attempt to end a long Premier League winless sequence against Liverpool when the teams meet at St James’ Park. According to BBC Sport’s match facts, Newcastle have not beaten Liverpool in their previous 19 Premier League meetings, recording five draws and 14 defeats across that run.

Liverpool also arrive with a strong recent record on Tyneside. BBC Sport reports that the Reds have avoided defeat in each of their past nine Premier League away matches against Newcastle, with six wins and three draws. A further unbeaten result would match Manchester City’s record of 10 consecutive Premier League games without defeat away to the Magpies, set between March 2007 and December 2017.

The fixture also carries a notable goals milestone. BBC Sport states that there have been 198 goals in Premier League matches between Newcastle and Liverpool. If at least two goals are scored on Sunday, the contest would become only the third Premier League fixture to reach 200 goals, after Liverpool versus Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal versus Tottenham Hotspur.

The latest Premier League meeting listed by BBC Sport ended in a 4-1 Liverpool victory on 31 January 2026. The page also records a League Cup tie on 16 March 2025 in which Newcastle won 2-1 at Liverpool.

Which managers will lead the teams?

BBC Sport’s preview identifies Matthias Jaissle as Newcastle United’s manager and Andoni Iraola as Liverpool’s manager for the match. The game is set to be Jaissle’s first Premier League fixture in charge of Newcastle.

The BBC Sport match facts state that Jaissle has won his first match in charge at each of his previous three clubs: Liefering, FC Red Bull Salzburg and Al Ahli. His Al Ahli team were also unbeaten at home during the previous Saudi Arabian League season, winning 14 matches and drawing three, including victory in their final 13 home fixtures.

For Liverpool, the match is listed as Iraola’s first game in charge. BBC Sport notes that the Spanish coach completed the final 18 Premier League matches of the 2025-26 season with Bournemouth without a defeat. The same source states that he has not lost any of his six Premier League meetings with Newcastle, winning three and drawing three.

Those records provide context but do not determine the outcome of the fixture. The game will be the first league match of a new campaign for both teams, and Sunday’s result will establish their opening points totals.

What do the Newcastle and Liverpool records show?

Newcastle begin the season having avoided defeat in their opening league fixture in each of the past four seasons. BBC Sport records three wins and one draw in that period, following a 4-2 loss to West Ham United in the 2021-22 opener. The source says Newcastle’s longer opening-day unbeaten run came between 1972-73 and 1977-78, when the club went six seasons without losing its first league match.

Liverpool’s opening-weekend sequence is longer. BBC Sport reports that Liverpool have gone 13 Premier League seasons without losing their first match, with 10 wins and three draws since a 3-0 defeat by West Bromwich Albion in 2012-13. It is described as the current longest active opening-match unbeaten run in the competition.

At St James’ Park, Newcastle’s recent Premier League games have regularly involved goals for both teams. BBC Sport says Newcastle have scored 14 goals and conceded 13 in their previous seven home league matches, with both sides scoring in every one of those fixtures. A repeat on Sunday would equal the club’s Premier League record of eight successive home games in which they have both scored and conceded.

Liverpool’s away form from the previous league campaign presents a separate point of context. The BBC Sport preview states that Liverpool lost nine Premier League away matches last season, including four of their final five games on the road. It was their highest number of away defeats in a league season since 2011-12, when they lost 10.

Could Alexander Isak face his former club?

Alexander Isak could make his first Premier League appearance against Newcastle since joining Liverpool in 2025, according to BBC Sport. The fixture would place him against the club he previously represented in the competition.

BBC Sport notes that only 10 players have scored on the opening matchday of a Premier League season against a former club they had played for in the division. The source adds that no Liverpool player has previously done so, while Andy Cole scored against Newcastle for Manchester United in the 2000-01 season.

The available BBC Sport page does not confirm whether Isak will start, feature as a substitute or be unavailable. It likewise does not provide confirmed team selections or a complete list of player fitness issues. Any pre-match article should avoid presenting unconfirmed line-ups or injury claims as established facts.

What are the confirmed match details?

The BBC Sport page lists Newcastle United versus Liverpool for Sunday, 23 August, at 4.30pm UK time. It places Newcastle 16th and Liverpool 14th in the displayed table, with both teams yet to play and on zero points at the time the page was last updated on 22 August.

The page contains statistical match facts and historical results but carries a notice that some content is provided by third parties and may be subject to change or be unverified. Supporters should check official club channels closer to kick-off for confirmed squads, starting line-ups and any late changes.

Background: Why does Newcastle United vs Liverpool matter?

Newcastle United vs Liverpool has become one of the Premier League’s higher-scoring recurring fixtures, with 198 goals recorded in league meetings before Sunday’s game. Liverpool hold the stronger recent league record in the head-to-head series, while Newcastle’s League Cup win at Anfield in March 2025 demonstrates that the teams have also produced different outcomes in knockout competition.

The 2026-27 opening fixture carries additional attention because it is the first league match listed for Jaissle at Newcastle and Iraola at Liverpool. It also creates the possibility of a former Newcastle player, Isak, facing the club after his move to Liverpool.

Prediction: How could this affect supporters?

For Newcastle supporters, a positive opening result would end the club’s 19-match Premier League winless run against Liverpool and provide an early benchmark for Jaissle’s start as manager. For Liverpool supporters, avoiding defeat would extend the club’s unbeaten league run at St James’ Park to 10 matches and preserve its long opening-day unbeaten sequence.

For both sets of supporters, the immediate effect will be limited to the first round of the Premier League table, as each side begins the fixture on zero points. The longer-term importance will depend on subsequent performances rather than the opening result alone.