Newcastle to host Liverpool at St. James' Park in Premier League opener on August 23

Newcastle United will host Liverpool at St. James' Park in the Premier League 2026-27 opening match on August 23, with both clubs beginning the season under new head coaches.

Newcastle arrive off a disappointing pre-season, winning only one of their last five friendlies and failing to keep a clean sheet in recent matches, while Liverpool barely finished fifth last season and produced mixed results in their warm-up games; both sides will start the domestic campaign with new managers in charge.

Matthias Jaissle will lead Newcastle into the opener as the club begins its top-flight campaign under the new manager, and William Osula was highlighted as the standout in the final pre-season match after scoring the only goal against Strasbourg; the 23-year-old was credited with a strong final-third showing and is expected to push for form in the Premier League.

The preview identifies Cody Gakpo as an important figure on Liverpool's left flank, noting the 27-year-old scored and assisted in the friendly against Como and "did not perform up to the mark during the last season for the Reds. He will be eager to make a mark this time around." The article also refers to Liverpool as the "Andoni Iraola-led side" and records their mixed club-friendly performances.

Newcastle will be without Joelinton, who is injured, while Valentino Livramento and Joseph Willock are listed as possible absentees due to fitness concerns; on the club's fitness Jaissle said: "It is too early to say on Tino, he was partially involved, but we need to be smart with his progress now. We need to wait until he is 100% fit. Joelinton is out for a couple of weeks. I am really confident that he will be… pic.twitter.com/iggEN1nQol"

Liverpool are missing Joe Gomez, Hugo Ekitike, Giovanni Leoni and Conor Bradley through injury, with Vitezslav Jaros, Curtis Jones and Stefan Bajcetic described as not yet confirmed for selection.

The preview lists the likely starting XIs as: Hornicek (GK); Dedic, Thiaw, Botman, Hall; Ramsey, Bamba; Elanga, Wissa, Barnes; Osula for Newcastle, and Alisson (GK); Frimpong, Jacquet, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Szoboszlai; Ngumoha, Wirtz, Gakpo; Isak for Liverpool.

The article suggests a home advantage for Newcastle but predicts Liverpool, described as having better squad quality, are likely to emerge with a win; the fixture will be played at St. James' Park on August 23 and will be available to viewers in India via Jio Hotstar and the Star Sports Network.