Liverpool's Premier League Opener Against Newcastle: A Season to Remember

Liverpool’s 2026/27 Premier League season starts on the road and under a spotlight that feels brighter than usual.

On Sunday, the Reds head to St. James’ Park to face Newcastle in a fixture loaded with storylines, emotion and a fair bit of needle.

Arsenal set the pace, Liverpool step into the light

The new campaign opened with a familiar statement from the champions. Arsenal brushed aside newly promoted Coventry 3-0 at the Emirates, Mikel Arteta’s side cruising thanks to goals from Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard. The bar has been set early.

Now it’s Liverpool’s turn.

Their curtain-raiser comes in the North East, where the football will share the stage with remembrance. St. James’ Park will pause to honour the late Kevin Keegan, a legend knitted into the histories of both clubs. It promises an emotional backdrop before a ball is even kicked.

Isak returns to Tyneside – as the villain

At the centre of it all stands Alexander Isak.

The Sweden forward goes back to Newcastle for the first time since his bitter exit last summer, when he forced through a British record move to Liverpool worth $170 million (£125m). Tyneside to Merseyside, adored to despised, in one transfer.

He never actually faced Newcastle in a Liverpool shirt last season. He sat out the Reds’ 3-2 win at St. James’ Park last August while on strike, the standoff that ultimately pushed his move over the line. When Liverpool thrashed Newcastle 4-1 in January, Isak was absent again, this time with a broken leg.

There will be no hiding place this time.

With Hugo Ekitike still recovering from the torn Achilles tendon he suffered last season, Isak will lead the line on Sunday. He can expect a hostile reception from the home crowd, every touch weighed against the manner of his departure.

Iraola’s back line call: Jacquet or Araujo?

Behind him, Liverpool’s shape looks more settled.

Alisson is set to start in goal, shielded by a back four of Jeremie Frimpong, Jeremy Jacquet, Virgil van Dijk and Milos Kerkez in the likely XI. The one real question sits in the heart of defence.

Andoni Iraola now has Ronald Araujo on loan from Barcelona, a defender of proven pedigree who could slot straight in alongside Van Dijk. But Liverpool didn’t spend $74 million (£55m) on Jacquet to keep him on the fringes.

The 21-year-old impressed on his debut against Como recently, showing enough composure and presence to suggest he is ready for this level. That performance has put him firmly in contention to start at St. James’ Park, even with Araujo available.

If Iraola goes with Jacquet, it will be a clear statement: this is a defender they trust now, not one being eased in for later.

Midfield balance and a new-look attack

In midfield, Iraola is expected to build from a double pivot of Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai. Alexis Mac Allister, the usual heartbeat of Liverpool’s engine room, is still some way short of full fitness after a draining summer at the World Cup with Argentina, so the burden of control and tempo falls elsewhere.

Ahead of them, Liverpool’s attacking line behind Isak looks sharp and fluid on paper.

Rio Ngumoha should start on the right, Cody Gakpo on the left, with Florian Wirtz operating in the central attacking midfield role. It’s a trio that offers movement, creativity and goals, and it carries its own history into this stadium.

Almost a year ago to the day, Ngumoha stunned St. James’ Park with a dramatic injury-time winner in that chaotic 3-2 Liverpool victory. The memory of that late strike still lingers in Newcastle minds. On Sunday, he walks back into the same arena, this time as a marked man rather than a surprise hero.

An opener heavy with subplots

So Liverpool arrive with Arsenal already on the board, Newcastle ready to roar, and a ground preparing to remember Kevin Keegan.

Isak returns as the record-breaking export who walked away. Ngumoha comes back to the scene of one of his first great moments in a red shirt. Jacquet and Araujo fight, quietly, for the right to stand next to Van Dijk on day one of a long season.

For Liverpool and Iraola, this isn’t just an opening fixture. It’s a test of nerve, of noise, and of whether this new-look side can handle a storm from the very first whistle.