ShareLiverpool travel to St James’ Park on Sunday afternoon to not only kick off the 2026/27 campaign but to kick off the Andoni Iraola eraBy Sam McGuireThe story of pre-season There’s been a lot of change at both clubs during the off-season. Eddie Howe surprisingly resigned during pre-season and was replaced by former Red Bull Salzburg boss Matthias Jaissle. The 38-year-old has spent the last few years in Saudi Arabia with Al-Ahli and though highly-rated, he’s viewed by many as a bit of a gamble having not managed in Europe since 2023. He has no experience in any of the top five European leagues either and he’s having to make Newcastle United competitive this season despite the fact their squad has been seriously raided. Sandro Tonali joined Spurs in a deal worth £100million, Anthony Gordon was snapped up by Barcelona for an initial £69million while club captain Bruno Guimarães departed for Arsenal in a deal believed to be in the region of £75million. The Magpies have done some business but nowhere near the level they would’ve expected or hoped for. At the time of writing this, Newcastle have brought in Bazoumana Touré, Amar Dedić, Aladji Bamba, Lukáš Horníček, Sean Steur and Ewen Jaouen. That list contains two midfielders, two goalkeepers, a right-back and a left-winger. Liverpool, meanwhile, have also had a busy summer. Arnse Slot was unexpectedly fired after a disappointing campaign. Iraola replaced the Dutchman and the Reds hijacked Newcastle’s bid to sign Spain World Cup squad player Víctor Muñoz. Along with January signing Jérémy Jacquet, Muñoz is the only new permanent addition to the squad, though Ronald Araújo did join on loan. Reinforcements are expected but negotiations for Bradley Barcola have been drawn out. The Reds lost Andrew Robertson, Mohamed Salah and Ibrahima Konate on free transfers meaning it’s a new look team on and off the pitch this term. Key Players For the hosts, it’s difficult to single out one player amidst so much change. William Osula, the club’s new No. 10, has a claim to this tag. He’s jumped ahead of Nick Woltemade and perhaps even Yoane Wissa in the pecking order for the Magpies. It would’ve been Joelinton had he been available but the vice captain is ruled out for the first few weeks of the season. Alexander Isak’s recent career summary, including his three seasons at NewcastleFor the Reds, the focus will be on Alexander Isak, returning to St James’ Park for the first time following his £125million move to Anfield last summer. Injuries hampered his first campaign and all eyes will be on him this term to see if he can deliver goals. He’s looked sharper in pre-season but with Hugo Ekitike ruled out for the foreseeable future and Salah no longer with the club, the burden is on him solely to score goals. Team NewsJoelinton is missing for a couple of weeks due to a groin issue. Valentino Livramento might be available but the signing of Dedić eases the pressure on the right-back to be fit and firing. It gives him a bit of time to recover following yet another stint on the sidelines. Fabian Schär is expected to be absent from the season opener too. Liverpool are without a number of players. Conor Bradley, Ekitike and Giovanni Leoni are long-term absentees. Curtis Jones was expected to miss out even before his move to Inter accelerated late in the week. Joe Gomez suffered a setback in pre-season and will be absent while Alexis Mac Allister, who was given an extended break after the World Cup, might not be fit enough to be involved. Prediction We’re going with a narrow 2-1 win for Liverpool. The Reds have a more settled team right now, just about.(Cover image from IMAGO)You can follow every game from the Premier League with FotMob this season — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.Add FotMob as a preferred news source on Google by clicking – here.Liverpool travel to St James’ Park on Sunday afternoon to not only kick off the 2026/27 campaign but to kick off the Andoni Iraola eraBy Sam McGuireThe story of pre-season There’s been a lot of change at both clubs during the off-season. Eddie Howe surprisingly resigned during pre-season and was replaced by former Red Bull Salzburg boss Matthias Jaissle. The 38-year-old has spent the last few years in Saudi Arabia with Al-Ahli and though highly-rated, he’s viewed by many as a bit of a gamble having not managed in Europe since 2023. He has no experience in any of the top five European leagues either and he’s having to make Newcastle United competitive this season despite the fact their squad has been seriously raided. Sandro Tonali joined Spurs in a deal worth £100million, Anthony Gordon was snapped up by Barcelona for an initial £69million while club captain Bruno Guimarães departed for Arsenal in a deal believed to be in the region of £75million. The Magpies have done some business but nowhere near the level they would’ve expected or hoped for. At the time of writing this, Newcastle have brought in Bazoumana Touré, Amar Dedić, Aladji Bamba, Lukáš Horníček, Sean Steur and Ewen Jaouen. That list contains two midfielders, two goalkeepers, a right-back and a left-winger. Liverpool, meanwhile, have also had a busy summer. Arnse Slot was unexpectedly fired after a disappointing campaign. Iraola replaced the Dutchman and the Reds hijacked Newcastle’s bid to sign Spain World Cup squad player Víctor Muñoz. Along with January signing Jérémy Jacquet, Muñoz is the only new permanent addition to the squad, though Ronald Araújo did join on loan. Reinforcements are expected but negotiations for Bradley Barcola have been drawn out. The Reds lost Andrew Robertson, Mohamed Salah and Ibrahima Konate on free transfers meaning it’s a new look team on and off the pitch this term. Key Players For the hosts, it’s difficult to single out one player amidst so much change. William Osula, the club’s new No. 10, has a claim to this tag. He’s jumped ahead of Nick Woltemade and perhaps even Yoane Wissa in the pecking order for the Magpies. It would’ve been Joelinton had he been available but the vice captain is ruled out for the first few weeks of the season. Alexander Isak’s recent career summary, including his three seasons at NewcastleFor the Reds, the focus will be on Alexander Isak, returning to St James’ Park for the first time following his £125million move to Anfield last summer. Injuries hampered his first campaign and all eyes will be on him this term to see if he can deliver goals. He’s looked sharper in pre-season but with Hugo Ekitike ruled out for the foreseeable future and Salah no longer with the club, the burden is on him solely to score goals. Team NewsJoelinton is missing for a couple of weeks due to a groin issue. Valentino Livramento might be available but the signing of Dedić eases the pressure on the right-back to be fit and firing. It gives him a bit of time to recover following yet another stint on the sidelines. Fabian Schär is expected to be absent from the season opener too. Liverpool are without a number of players. Conor Bradley, Ekitike and Giovanni Leoni are long-term absentees. Curtis Jones was expected to miss out even before his move to Inter accelerated late in the week. Joe Gomez suffered a setback in pre-season and will be absent while Alexis Mac Allister, who was given an extended break after the World Cup, might not be fit enough to be involved. Prediction We’re going with a narrow 2-1 win for Liverpool. The Reds have a more settled team right now, just about.(Cover image from IMAGO)You can follow every game from the Premier League with FotMob this season — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.Add FotMob as a preferred news source on Google by clicking – here.