Newcastle United and Liverpool begin new eras on Sunday afternoon as Matthias Jaissle and Andoni Iraola take charge of their first Premier League matches for their respective clubs.

Both sides have undergone significant change during the summer, but while Newcastle are rebuilding after a turbulent campaign and several major departures, Liverpool arrive at St James’ Park with serious ambitions of challenging for the title.

Newcastle United

A 12th-placed finish last season represented a major disappointment for Newcastle, and the subsequent summer has brought sweeping changes at St James’ Park.

Eddie Howe has departed along with several of the squad’s most influential players, including Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes and Anthony Gordon. The responsibility for rebuilding now falls to Jaissle, who arrives with an impressive trophy-winning record from his spells with Red Bull Salzburg and Al-Ahli.

The 38-year-old inherited a side that had recently suffered a 4-1 friendly defeat to Bristol City, and results under the German during the remainder of pre-season were mixed. Newcastle beat Valencia but lost against Everton and Bayer Leverkusen before drawing with Strasbourg.

One consistent feature was goals at both ends, with Newcastle scoring and conceding in each of those four matches. That continues a trend from last season, when their final seven Premier League home fixtures also saw both teams find the net.

There are nevertheless reasons for optimism heading into the opener. Newcastle are unbeaten in their last four opening-day Premier League matches, while Jaissle has won his first competitive game in charge of each of his previous three clubs.

His task on Sunday is complicated by further midfield problems. Joelinton has been ruled out with a groin injury, meaning either Sean Steur or Aladji Bamba could be handed a full debut.

Tino Livramento also remains unavailable as he recovers from the calf injury that kept him out of the World Cup, so summer arrival Amar Dedic could start at full-back. Lukas Hornicek is expected to make his Premier League debut in goal.

Liverpool

Liverpool have also changed manager, but their transition appears significantly less disruptive. Iraola arrives at Anfield after an outstanding spell with Bournemouth, where his aggressive pressing and high-tempo football established him as one of the Premier League’s most highly regarded coaches.

Early evidence suggests Liverpool will embrace a similarly adventurous approach. Their six pre-season fixtures produced 20 goals in total, while defensive improvements were evident towards the end of the summer as the Reds recorded consecutive clean sheets against Como.

Liverpool also carry an outstanding opening-day record into Sunday’s contest. They have gone 13 consecutive Premier League season openers without defeat, while Iraola himself has never lost a top-flight match against Newcastle, recording three victories and three draws.

The visitors do have several absentees. Conor Bradley, Giovanni Leoni and Hugo Ekitike remain long-term injury casualties, while Joe Gomez is unavailable after suffering a muscular problem during pre-season.

Curtis Jones is also expected to depart for Inter Milan, while Alexis Mac Allister has only recently returned following his World Cup involvement. That should leave Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai together in central midfield.

Further forward, Rio Ngumoha is expected to feature while Mohamed Salah remains unavailable, with much of Liverpool’s attacking responsibility falling on new-look combinations involving Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak.

Verdict

St James’ Park is rarely an easy place to begin a Premier League campaign, and Newcastle’s attacking record at home suggests Liverpool should not expect a comfortable afternoon.

However, Jaissle has inherited a team undergoing considerable reconstruction after losing several key players, and injuries have further reduced his options in midfield and defence.

Liverpool look further along in their transition under Iraola. Their attacking football showed plenty of promise during pre-season, and they possess the greater quality in the final third. Newcastle should cause problems, but the visitors are capable of exploiting the spaces that are likely to appear.

Tip

Liverpool to win and both teams to score.