Liverpool's New Era Begins Against Newcastle United

The Andoni Iraola era truly begins this afternoon, with Liverpool heading to Tyneside to open their Premier League campaign against Newcastle United at St James’ Park.

Liverpool arrive changed. Not unrecognisably, but enough for this to feel like a hard reset. A busy, ruthless summer has reshaped the squad: stalwarts Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson have both departed, taking with them years of goals, assists and leadership. In their place, new faces have walked through the door, among them Victor Munoz and Ronald Araujo, tasked with helping to define what this new Liverpool will look like.

That means debut season, debut nerves. Several first outings in red are expected on the St James’ Park pitch, none more intriguing than at the heart of defence. Jeremy Jacquet is pushing hard to start alongside Virgil van Dijk, hoping to edge out the more experienced Araujo and stake an early claim as Iraola’s preferred partner for the Liverpool captain.

Across the halfway line, Newcastle have lived through their own dose of turbulence.

Eddie Howe’s departure in July ripped away a steady hand just weeks before the season. In his place, Matthias Jaissle has barely had time to learn every name on the training pitch, let alone impose a full philosophy, before being thrown into a high‑stakes opener against a club in transition but still stacked with quality.

Jaissle inherits a squad that looks lighter in key areas. Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes, two of Newcastle’s most influential players, have gone — Tonali to Tottenham, Guimaraes to Arsenal. Their exits leave a clear void in midfield control and personality, and how quickly the new manager can plug those gaps will shape Newcastle’s early weeks.

Even so, St James’ Park remains a difficult place to visit. Jaissle’s first test is a stern one, but he will know that a Liverpool side still adjusting to Iraola’s methods can be vulnerable. A restless, noisy home crowd, a patched‑together visiting team, a new manager in each dugout: it has all the ingredients for an opening‑day upset if Newcastle get it right.

How to watch Newcastle vs Liverpool

TV channel: In the UK, the match will be shown live on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event. Coverage begins after the 2pm kick-offs, with kick-off at St James’ Park scheduled for 4.30pm BST.

Live stream: Sky Sports subscribers can watch the game online via the Sky Go app and the Sky Sports website.

Two clubs, two new eras, one brutal opening fixture. Whoever settles quickest might just set the tone for their entire season.