The wait is finally over. Summer chatter, transfer saga debates, and pre-season tactical teardowns give way to the real thing on Sunday afternoon as Liverpool march into St James' Park to kick off their 2026/27 Premier League campaign.
It marks the official dawn of the Andoni Iraola era on Merseyside. Taking the reins at Anfield is never a low-pressure assignment, and launching your tenure in the cauldron of Tyneside adds an extra layer of spice. Yet despite the Magpies’ turbulent summer off the pitch under new boss Matthias Jaissle, Iraola should head North with a firm belief that three points are well within reach.
History, after all, walks alongside the Reds this weekend.
Tyneside dominance and Premier League pedigree
Visiting Newcastle has routinely been billed as a banana skin, yet Liverpool’s record on Geordie soil tells a vastly different story. The Reds haven't suffered defeat at St James' Park since December 2015, carving out a remarkable run that includes six victories from their last eight trips to the North East.
Beyond their prowess in Tyneside, Liverpool hold a formidable tradition on the Premier League's opening weekend.
Since the league's inception in 1992, opening day has largely been a day of celebration for the Travelling Kop. Liverpool have notched 20 wins from their 36 Premier League openers, drawing 10 and suffering just four defeats.
You have to cast your mind back to 2012 to find the last time the Reds started a league campaign empty-handed, when a grim 3-0 defeat at West Bromwich Albion marred Brendan Rodgers' debut.
Since that Hawthorns horror show, Liverpool are unbeaten in 13 consecutive curtain-raisers—winning 10 and drawing three. Arne Slot kept that momentum ticking over during his short tenure, overseeing a professional 3-0 victory away at Ipswich before navigating a frantic 4-2 opening day thriller twelve months later against the very man who would eventually succeed him at Anfield.
If Newcastle fans are searching for a sliver of hope, it lies in the venue. All four of Liverpool's historical opening-day Premier League losses Nottingham Forest in 1992, Chelsea in 2003, Spurs in 2009, and West Brom in 2012 occurred away from the comfort of Anfield.
Confirmed team news: Jacquet debut and Isak leads the line
The team news is in from Tyneside, and Andoni Iraola has handed a Premier League debut to Jérémy Jacquet, who lines up alongside skipper Virgil van Dijk in central defence. The squad mirrors the side that completed pre-season against Como, with new full-back additions Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez occupying the flanks
All eyes will inevitably be on Alexander Isak, who starts up front on his return to St James' Park.He is supported by an inventive attacking trio of Florian Wirtz, Cody Gakpo, and highly rated youngster Rio Ngumoha.Alexis Mac Allister and Ronald Araújo start on the bench as they build back to full sharpness.
For Newcastle, Matthias Jaissle names summer signing Lukáš Horníček in goal behind a backline featuring Amar Dedić, Malick Thiaw, Sven Botman, and Lewis Hall.
Team confirmed starting XI: Liverpool Alisson; Frimpong, Jacquet, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Szoboszlai; Ngumoha, Wirtz, Gakpo; Isak.
Newcastle confirmed starting Xl: Horníček; Dedić, Thiaw, Botman, Hall; Steur, Miley; Barnes, Wissa, Elanga; Osula.
High-scoring openers
If there is one guarantee when Liverpool kick off a new league year, it is goal-mouth entertainment.
The Reds have been central to some of the most captivating opening-day spectacles in top-flight history. High-scoring 4-3 thrillers against Arsenal at the Emirates in 2016 and Leeds United at Anfield in 2020 stand out as modern classics, sharing the club record for total match goals.
Yet, for sheer dominance, nothing quite matches the August 1994 demolition of Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. A 6-1 thrashing remains both Liverpool's biggest opening-day winning margin and their highest single-game goal tally to start a season.
Under Jürgen Klopp, the Reds made a habit of flying out of the traps, scoring three or more goals in six straight openers between 2016 and 2021 a trait that has carried forward through the last two campaigns.
The verdict
As last season starkly demonstrated, how you launch a campaign doesn't necessarily dictate where you finish. Liverpool won five on the bounce to start the previous term before structural issues caught up with them in a deeply frustrating campaign.
However, momentum remains the most prized currency in football.
Iraola steps into a lineage rich with opening-day success. With Newcastle adapting to their own off-field transitions under Jaissle, the platform is set for the Basque manager to make an immediate statement. A victory on Sunday won't win a title, but maintaining Liverpool's remarkable Tyneside record would be the ultimate launchpad for a bold new chapter.
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