Liverpool travel to St James' Park for Premier League's marquee opening weekend fixture, as Alexander Isak prepares to face his former club for the first time.
Newcastle vs LiverpoolSee All Odds
The 2026/27 Premier League season reaches its most eye-catching early fixture as Newcastle host champions Liverpool at St James' Park.
It's been a summer of major upheaval on Tyneside. Eddie Howe stepped down as head coach in late July following a difficult 2025/26 campaign, with Newcastle also losing Sandro Tonali to Tottenham and Anthony Gordon to Barcelona, while doubts persist over Bruno Guimaraes' long-term future amid interest from Arsenal.
For Liverpool, the headline storyline is Isak's return to the club he forced his way out of last summer in a British-record £125million deal, a transfer that failed to deliver in year one as a disrupted pre-season and a broken leg limited him to just four goals.
Newcastle vs Liverpool Best Bet
Best Bet: Alexander Isak to Score
Odds: 7/5 (QuinnBet)
Stake: 1pt
Isak has every incentive to make a statement on his first return to St James' Park since forcing through his move last summer. His debut season at Anfield was a write-off by his own standards, with an underprepared pre-season followed by a groin issue and then a fractured fibula in December restricting him to just four Premier League goals in what should have been a marquee first year following his British-record transfer.
Encouragingly, the medical picture looks far better heading into this campaign. With Hugo Ekitike sidelined, Isak looks set for the kind of uninterrupted run at centre-forward he never got last season, and a fully fit pre-season should mean he arrives at Newcastle sharper than at any point since his move. Given the emotional weight of this fixture and his pedigree in front of goal, having scored 23 Premier League goals in his final season at Newcastle, this looks a fair price for a player with obvious motivation to deliver.
Who is the Betting Favourite in Newcastle vs Liverpool?
According to recent odds at Oddschecker, Liverpool are the betting favourites to beat Newcastle in the Premier League encounter, with an implied win probability of around 52%, while Newcastle sit at roughly 26%.
To Win Odds:
Newcastle: 29/10 (AK Bets)
Draw: 3/1 (Betfred)
Liverpool: 39/40 (BetMGM UK)
Newcastle vs Liverpool Bet Builder Tip
Our Newcastle vs Liverpool Bet Builder Tip includes the following legs:
- Dominik Szoboszlai Over 1.5 – Tackles
- Alexander Isak Over 1.5 – Shots On Target
- Dominik Szoboszlai Over 0.5 – Shots On Target
Best odds available of 14/1 at bet365 while publishing.
The first leg backs Dominik Szoboszlai for over 1.5 tackles, and his recent numbers make a strong case. Across his last ten Liverpool appearances, Szoboszlai has recorded tackle counts of 3, 1, 0, 2, 2, 2, 5, 2, 1 and 0, meaning he's cleared this mark in five of those ten outings. With Liverpool expected to press high from the outset against a Newcastle side still adjusting to a new head coach, his willingness to engage aggressively in midfield battles should see him heavily involved defensively once again.
Alexander Isak Over 1.5 Shots On Target follows, built on the same logic as the best bet leg. With Ekitike unavailable and Isak given the platform to lead the line on his own for the first time at Liverpool, a player of his quality in behind a Newcastle defence still bedding in new arrivals like Malick Thiaw should generate plenty of sight of goal across 90 minutes.
The final leg is Szoboszlai Over 0.5 Shots On Target, and it leans on a role change that's gone under the radar. He has cleared this mark in all four of his previous Liverpool appearances when deployed in a deeper central midfield position, suggesting his shooting output holds up even when he's not playing further forward. With Newcastle set to sit deeper against a Liverpool side dominating the ball for long spells, the pockets of space to shoot from range should present themselves regularly.
Newcastle vs Liverpool Match Prediction
This is a fixture that traditionally kicks off the Premier League calendar with goals, and little suggests that changes here. Newcastle have shown they can trouble Liverpool at St James' Park in recent seasons, most memorably last term when a ten-man Magpies side came back from two goals down before Liverpool snatched a late winner, and Jaissle's high-energy approach should ensure the hosts aren't overrun.
That said, the structural gap between the two squads looks significant on paper right now. Newcastle have lost the spine of the side that took them into the Champions League in recent years, while Liverpool retain far greater squad depth even with several key absentees of their own. Expect goals at both ends, with Liverpool's attacking quality just about enough to edge it.
Prediction: Newcastle 1-2 Liverpool
Newcastle vs Liverpool Predicted Lineups
Newcastle (4-3-3): Hornicek; Dedic, Thiaw, Botman, Hall; Bamba, Ramsey, Miley; Elanga, Wissa, Barnes
Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Frimpong, Van Dijk, Jacquet; Kerkez; Gravenberch, Szoboszlai; Ngumoha, Wirtz, Gakpo; Isak
Newcastle will assess doubts over Tino Livramento and Fabian Schar before naming their side, with Joelinton ruled out entirely.
Liverpool have a longer absentee list of their own, with Ekitike, Conor Bradley, Joe Gomez and Giovanni Leoni all sidelined, putting extra weight on Isak, Wirtz and Szoboszlai to carry the attacking load.
Newcastle vs Liverpool Player Prop Bet
Best Bet: Malick Thiaw - To Be Carded
Best Odds: 10/3 (Betway)
Stake: 1pt
Thiaw's foul numbers in the Premier League last season, 1, 0, 1, 0, 0, 1, 2 and 3 across his most recent outings, point to a defender who picks up regular fouls when under pressure, and this fixture looks likely to test him more than most. Newcastle head into the new season stripped of much of the spine that made them so competitive in recent years, with Howe gone and key contributors like Tonali, Gordon and Guimaraes all having left the club.
With Newcastle likely to be second-best for large periods and forced into a deeper, more reactive shape, Thiaw could find himself repeatedly called upon to make last-ditch interventions against a rampant Liverpool front line. That kind of defensive workload, combined with his existing foul tendencies, makes him a solid outsider for a card at this price.
