Arguably, the game of the opening weekend takes place at St James’ Park on Sunday 23rd August as Newcastle host Liverpool. The Athletic’s Hope-O-Meter reported that neither set of fans was particularly looking forward to the season, with both ranking in the bottom four in terms of their teams' prospects.
But a result on Sunday could see the mood lift ahead of a crucial final week of the transfer window, with recruitment needed across the board. Historically, this fixture has been a cracker and emotions will be high following a tribute to a club legend who represented both sides, Kevin Keegan. Strap in, as this one would do the great man proud.
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TL;DR – My Newcastle vs Liverpool Bet Builder Predictions
*Odds correct at 12:00 BST on 20/08/2026. Odds subject to change.
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Bet 1: Liverpool to Win
If you’ve spent any time watching Newcastle this preseason, as I have, then you’ll be looking at the players that have left and wondering how this young team is going to cope. A distinct lack of goals and a catalogue of errors at the back have likely fuelled fans’ pessimism this season, and they look desperately thin in that final third.
Liverpool will be buoyed by glimmers of form from Alexander Isak. He heads back to St James’ Park for the first time since his £135 million league record transfer last summer, and it’s safe to say the locals will politely remind him of their dismay at how he managed the move.
Nevertheless, I think it could be a big season for the Swede, and I’ve already backed him as an outsider in the Premier League top goalscorer market as a result.
The last time Newcastle beat Liverpool in the league was back in December 2015. That’s 19 Premier League games, with 14 losses and five draws. A dire record if ever there was one, and it’s not like they head into Sunday with any reason to think this streak will end anytime soon. Looking at the odds, almost even money with the best online bookies for Liverpool to leave with all three points (again) looks big and is my first pick.
Bet 2: Over 3.5 Goals
Diving back into the history books would suggest there will be goals. Ten of the last 20 meetings have covered the over 3.5 goals, so purely from a value perspective, 11/10 is a +EV bet here.
The fixture is the fifth-highest-scoring in Premier League history, with 198 total goals at an average of 3.2 per game. Who could forget those classic 4-3 results under Keegan, and a re-run of that would be a fitting tribute from both teams.
If we tighten the net on the data a little, four of the last six have seen over 3.5 goals and with both teams looking perilously poor at the back in preseason, goals feel like an obvious bet.
Bet 3: Total Cards – Over 3.5
There have been some feisty fixtures over the last few years. The last time they met at St James’ Park, there were five yellows and an Anthony Gordon red card alone.
In fact, this fixture averages 4.2 cards per game, and the number jumps again for games in the North East to 4.8, so taking the over 3.5 cards seems more than reasonable here.
Just to add a little sweetener to this market, a certain Stuart Attwell has been appointed as the man in the middle. In the 2025-26 season, no referee with three or more matches under their belt had a higher average of cards per game than Attwell’s 4.72.
