Alexander Isak Returns to Newcastle as Liverpool's Iraola Era Begins

Alexander Isak Returns to Newcastle as Liverpool's Iraola Era Begins

One of the standout fixtures of the opening weekend sees Newcastle United host Liverpool at St James' Park on Sunday, August 23 (4:30pm kick-off) — Andoni Iraola's first competitive match in charge of Liverpool.

Team News

Liverpool will be without Joe Gomez, expected to be sidelined for several weeks with a muscle injury. Newcastle carry minor doubts over Joelinton (thigh) and Fabian Schär (groin), though manager Eddie Howe does not believe either is serious.

Context

The match carries an added storyline: Alexander Isak is expected to face his former club for the first time since his move to Liverpool. Liverpool's rebuild under Iraola follows a difficult 2025/26 campaign that saw the club finish fifth, its worst finish in over a decade, and led to the departure of title-winning manager Arne Slot. The club has also said goodbye to Mohamed Salah after nine years at Anfield, along with Andrew Robertson and Ibrahima Konaté.

For the full model breakdown and predictions on this and other fixtures, visit our predictions page.