The 2026/27 Premier League season kicked off on Friday. It is now time for Liverpool and Newcastle to face off in their first matches of the season. The Reds are entering a new era under Andoni Iraola, while Matthias Jaissle has stepped in as the new manager at Newcastle. This is a big test for both managers as they look to start on a strong note at their new clubs.
Liverpool are -105 favorites on the Moneyline for this one on DraftKings Sportsbook, with a draw available at +295. Newcastle are +245 to pull off the upset at home.
Liverpool vs. Newcastle Preview, Prediction
Liverpool Preview
It was a summer of change at Liverpool. New minority owners, a new manager and new players all entered the fray for the Reds. Just one year after winning the Premier League title with Liverpool, Arne Slot was relieved of his duties. Liverpool brought in former Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola to take over the top job. Iraola has been brilliant at Bournemouth on a limited budget, but it will be a different test to compete for big trophies, which is the standard at Liverpool.
Liverpool lost some key players over the summer, including Ibrahima Konate, Andy Robertson and Mo Salah. The Reds brought in some talented players to replace them, such as center-backs Jeremy Jacquet and Ronald Araujo. There could be even more reinforcements on the way, with the club heavily linked to Bradley Barcola and Ibrahim Mbaye from PSG. However, until those new signings go through and Hugo Ekitike returns from injury, Liverpool is a bit thin up top. The Reds will hope Alexander Isak can stay fit and be that goal machine that Liverpool needs him to be this season.
Newcastle Preview
It has also been a summer of major transition at Newcastle, but with much more pessimism around the changes. Newcastle has been selling off its top talent over the past couple of years, including Alexander Isak to Liverpool. This summer, they parted with Anthony Gordon, Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali, three of the club’s biggest stars. That was the last straw for manager Eddie Howe, who decided to leave his role at the club due to a lack of support from ownership.
That move from Howe left Newcastle scrambling for a manager late in the summer. They ended up hiring Matthias Jaissle, who spent the last couple of seasons in the Saudi Pro League. It will be a tough job for Jaissle, who is now working with an inexperienced and thin squad. The Magpies will need some unlikely heroes to emerge if they are to have a good season on Tyneside.
Newcastle vs. Liverpool Pick, Best Bet
My best bet for this match is for Liverpool to get all three points at St. James’ Park. Liverpool came to Newcastle and got the win on almost exactly this date a year ago thanks to a late Rio Ngumoha winner. The Reds should once again disappoint the Geordies and spoil their opening day of the Premier League season. Newcastle underwent so many changes over the summer and have not brought in the signings to replace what they lost. More importantly, the manager has not had much time with his thin squad to figure out how he wants to play with them. It could be a slow start to the season for Newcastle as they figure out how to deploy the talent that’s left on the pitch.
While it was also a summer of change for Liverpool, they should be solid to start the season. The Reds need some reinforcements in the attacking areas for when the matches start coming thick and fast later in the season. However, the starting XI for Matchweek 1 should be ready to go. The spine of Alisson Becker, Virgil van Dijk, Dominik Szoboslai and Alexander Isak is still world-class. There are enough pieces around that group, like Milos Kerkez, Ryan Gravenberch, Florian Wirtz, Cody Gakpo and Rio Ngumoha, to support that spine until more players get added to the squad.
