You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on your smart speaker. Just say "Alexa, ask BBC Sounds to play Brighton v Aston Villa" or "Alexa, ask BBC Sounds to play the Newcastle match", for example.
Sutton's predictions: Newcastle v Liverpoolpublished at 11:06 BST
11:06 BST
I like everything I've seen from new Newcastle boss Matthias Jaissle, but he's had the heart ripped out of his team with Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes leaving.
They were two absolute monsters in midfield, who were horrible to play against, but they have gone - and so has the influence of Anthony Gordon and the experience of Kieran Trippier.
It is sad to see. That's not to say Newcastle can't do well now, but I think their fans are realistic about this season and how it will go.
This will be a fascinating game because Liverpool are still adapting to life under Andoni Iraola and have struggled defensively in pre-season. Hopefully they can run for more than half an hour now, too.
I don't think they will have any problems up front, however.
Alexander Isak will get quite a reception - and not in a good way - from the home crowd, but I do think he will shine for Liverpool this year and that starts on Sunday.
'The superstar of our group was our manager' - ex-players and staff in emotional return for Keegan tributespublished at 15:27 BST 22 August
15:27 BST 22 August
Ciaran Kelly Newcastle United reporter
Image source, Getty Images
Kevin Keegan may have been fighting stage four cancer at the time, but the Newcastle United legend vowed there "will be a day when I'll come back" to St James' Park.
It is rather poignant that he did not ultimately return.
However, those inside the stadium will celebrate the 75-year-old's legacy on Sunday when Newcastle face Liverpool, another of his former clubs.
It promises to be an emotional day for those former staff and players who have been invited back, including Warren Barton, who is flying in especially from the United States.
"All of us will have a tear in our eye," the ex-Newcastle defender said. "Because, like when Sir Bobby [Robson] went, you just lose a little bit, but you never forget."
Understandably so.
Keegan took Newcastle from the brink of relegation to the third tier to the cusp of winning the Premier League just a few years later.
This charismatic figure encouraged the city to dream when he returned to Newcastle as manager in 1992 following his previous spell as a player.
Former first-team coach Derek Fazackerley knows that better than most.
"He was never happy with mediocrity or just accepting what we were," he said of the two-time Ballon d'Or winner.
"He was always trying to drive it forward because he was used to playing at the top and knew what it needed to sustain that."
Those involved still look back on that period as one of the happiest of their lives, on and off the field.
As much as ex-physio Derek Wright was "quite emotional" when he heard Keegan had died, a number of amusing memories also came flooding back, such as the day he beat Fazackerley in a race at the training ground.
"Kevin must have had a bet on me and won some money because he then said: 'Right, come on, I'll give you a piggyback around the field,'" he said.
"But he ended up in hospital for a few days after carrying me on his back. I think he prolapsed a disc.
"It wasn't very nice for him but it's times like that where you think back: 'Oh my god – did that really happen?' He was just great. Unique, really."
For ex-midfielder Lee Clark, too, there was pride as much as sadness when he witnessed the huge number of flowers and kits left outside St James' Park last month.
The Hartlepool manager will also be there on Sunday, wearing his retro Newcastle shirt with Keegan's name and number seven on the back.
"He gave the club its belief back," he said. "He gave the city its identity back. The people from Newcastle will be forever indebted.
"People say to us lads now we were good in never turning down an autograph or a photograph, but we learned from the best because, let's get it right, the superstar of our group was our manager."
Hit play below to hear Chris Heron of Wor Flags tell BBC Radio Newcastle of the plans for a tribute to Keegan at St James' Park before the Liverpool match...
Newcastle United v Liverpool: Key stats and talking pointspublished at 13:28 BST 22 August
13:28 BST 22 August
Matthew Hobbs BBC Sport journalist
St James' Park plays host to the meeting of two new managers this weekend as one of the highest scoring fixtures in Premier League history resumes on Tyneside.
Andoni Iraola ended three seasons at Bournemouth with a bang after leading the Cherries to European football for the first time and his arrival at Liverpool earlier this summer was well received following the decline under predecessor Arne Slot.
Following their title win with 84 points under Slot in 2024-25, Liverpool slipped to sixth last season after earning just 60. It was the biggest drop-off in terms of the overall points tally of any Premier League team when comparing the past two campaigns.
The arrival of Iraola, however, has been tempered by fan frustration surrounding Liverpool's limited transfer activity following the departure of Mohamed Salah.
Salah scored 257 goals and provided 120 assists in 442 games for the club but Liverpool have yet to bring in a new right winger, while the squad also looks light in central midfield where Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister are the only senior options.
Salah's absence and the lack of a direct replacement is likely to result in an increased focus on Alexander Isak. The £125m signing struggled amid injury problems after swapping St James' Park for Anfield in a protracted move last summer.
He returns to his former club for the first time on Sunday afternoon having scored just four goals in 22 games for Liverpool so far.
Newcastle kick off proceedings without Eddie Howe for the first time in five years, with replacement Matthias Jaissle taking charge of a Premier League side for the first time in his career.
Jaissle has won his opening game in charge at his three previous clubs and his Al-Ahli side were unbeaten at home in the Saudi Pro League last season.
The former Salzburg boss has midfield woes of his own to contend with following the departures of Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali, while Anthony Gordon has also been sold to Barcelona.
Newcastle have made seven new signings but a focus on youth means that a side that finished 12th last season is very much in transition. Jaissle's immediate task may be to simply steady the ship.
The Magpies have both scored (14) and conceded (13) in each of their last seven Premier League home games, while they have failed to defeat the Reds in the past 19 league meetings (D5, L14).
Liverpool had struggles of their own on the road last season, losing nine matches, but they have opened with a victory in each of the past 13 seasons.
Whoever the winner, one thing that this Premier League fixture usually promises is goals. There have been 198 scored so far – two more would make it just the third fixture in the competition's history to reach a double century.
Magpies must build 'thread of seniority'published at 11:52 BST 21 August
11:52 BST 21 August
Media caption,
'We have lost the thread of seniority in the squad'
Newcastle fan and podcaster Charlotte Robson says she is excited for the new season but warns Matthias Jaissle's side need to rebuild the "thread of seniority" lost during a "difficult" summer transfer window.
"It has been a busy summer and sort of a weird one at the beginning," she told BBC Radio Newcastle.
"I think a lot of people, well, we certainly hoped it would be busy at the beginning so that players could bed into the team but it seems to have been more difficult than that.
"I think that we've missed out on some targets that we hoped to have and lots of rumours on social media but broadly speaking we have brought in some interesting players, so I feel good about that."
The Magpies have signed six new players all under the age of 25 after Kieran Trippier left at the end of his contract and star players Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali have been sold alongside captain Bruno Guimaraes.
Charlotte added: "What I think now is massively important is how they bed in under a new manager. We've got Dan Burn now has been named the captain which is great but we've lost that thread of seniority through the squad so we need to build that back up."
'Everyone is somehow against us' - Jaisslepublished at 09:14 BST 21 August
09:14 BST 21 August
Media caption,
Matthias Jaissle sees an opportunity, refusing to "waste energy" speaking about the game's financial rules, which have limited their overall spending power and heightened the need to trade.
"I like challenges," the ex-Al-Ahli and Red Bull Salzburg manager said. "I try to see in all challenges the chance in it, so therefore I'm here.
"Of course you can complain about the timing, the big transition, all the sales the club did, but we will not.
"We will have no excuses."
Newcastle have made six signings in Lukas Hornicek, Ewen Jaouen, Amar Dedic, Sean Steur, Aladji Bamba and Bazoumana Toure, but the new arrivals are all aged 24 and under and will need time to adapt to the physicality and intensity of the Premier League.
Further reinforcements are clearly required and Jaissle is "confident there will be changes" before the summer transfer window shuts on 1 September.
The German remains undaunted despite a number of pundits predicting a season of strife for his side.
"Everyone is somehow against us or do not think we can play a good role in the Premier League," he said.
"We will try to convince them in a different way that we are able to."
Newcastle's numbers last seasonpublished at 09:09 BST 21 August
09:09 BST 21 August
Chris Collinson BBC Sport statistician
Image source, Getty Images
After clinching fifth and Champions League football the season before, Newcastle's 12th-place finish was disappointing.
But while most of their stats were those of a mid-table side, a bit more efficiency in both boxes could have meant they finished a fair bit higher given how tight the middle of the table was.
Considering the number and quality of chances they took and faced, Newcastle scored four fewer goals and conceded four more than they really should have.
Defensively, they actually had the sixth-lowest xG against figure in the league, but so many defences were similar in strength that just those extra four goals meant they conceded the sixth-most overall.
With that and a turbulent summer during which manager Eddie Howe and a few key players have left to be replaced by Matthias Jaissle and a flurry of new signings, Newcastle's numbers could look very different this season.
Gossip: Man Utd move on from Hallpublished at 08:18 BST 21 August
08:18 BST 21 August
Manchester United are concentrating on signing a new left-back, with Racing Santander's 19-year-old Spaniard Jorge Salinas a candidate as Newcastle are not inclined to sell England left-back Lewis Hall. (CaughtOffside), external
Why was the Premier League so competitive in 2025-26?published at 08:14 BST 21 August
08:14 BST 21 August
Chris Collinson BBC Sport statistician
Image source, Getty Images
In the Premier League last season, 13 of the 20 teams finished with between 40 and 60 points - the most in an English top-flight campaign since 2003-04 (also 13).
Was the Premier League so competitive in 2025-26 because the quality of the 'lesser' teams got better or the top teams got worse? It is hard to know for sure.
Given how savvy clubs like Brighton, Brentford and Bournemouth are, the vast amounts of money that enable even bottom-half sides to sign the best talent from abroad and the Premier League's current dominance of the Europa League and Conference League, it would seem to be the former.
However, the fact that promoted play-off winners Sunderland were able to finish above 13 teams in their first season back suggests the league was maybe not as strong as we think.
What we do know is that whether because they got worse or their opponents got better, four of the sides that finished in the top seven in 2024-25 - champions Liverpool, Chelsea, Newcastle and Nottingham Forest - took 79 points fewer between them last season.
While Forest's decline was perhaps expected given their incredible seventh-place finish in 2024-25 and their journey to the Europa League semi-finals last season, the others were far more surprising.
Sunderland and Leeds smashed the recent run of promoted sides struggling to compete by taking 64 more points than the teams they replaced in the top flight.
As a result, this season will be a bit of an upside-down one in that Bournemouth, Brighton and Sunderland have European campaigns to navigate while Chelsea, Tottenham and Newcastle do not.
Will we therefore see a bounce-back to the more 'traditional' order in 2026-27 or are we truly entering a new, fiercely-competitive era of the Premier League?
Jaissle on Dedic, Keegan tributes and Isak's return with Liverpoolpublished at 18:15 BST 20 August
18:15 BST 20 August
Flora Snelson BBC Sport journalist
Media caption,
Newcastle United boss Matthias Jaissle has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Liverpool at St James' Park (kick-off 16:30 BST).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
New signing Amar Dedic is "the perfect fit" - and his knowledge of Jaissle's playing style from their time together at Red Bull Salzburg helps.
Dedic is ready to play on Sunday, but it comes too soon for Tino Livramento and Joelinton, whom Jaissle expects to be out for a couple of weeks.
Jaissle is looking forward to his first appearance at a sell-out St James' Park: "It will be an amazing privilege to be the coach of Newcastle United against a top team in the league"
On the role of fans: "If there's good synergy with the fans, and they will back us, I'm 100% convinced that, together with players and staff members, they can create this benefit and we want to use that."
Jaissle said of "special" tributes planned for Kevin Keegan: "[He is] a legend. You cannot really describe what he did for our club. For sure, a reason why the club is right now on that level [is] what he did, what he was building."
His 'team talk' for Newcastle fans: "The togetherness, all in together - I think that could be the biggest message and the biggest benefit for this season."
On the club's new training ground: "It's a great sign toward the future. We have a young squad to build a future with, and it's a really good combination. This is the base to build something on and I cannot wait to see the development."
On remaining transfer business: "We want to be efficient in the transfer market but also smart in our approach. We only do the right things. We don't feel hectic, or pressure from the outside. We go our way."
Asked how confident he is that Newcastle can beat Liverpool, Jaissle said: "At home, everything is possible."
On Alexander Isak's return to St James' Park: "Our lads will just focus on themselves - that's the most important thing. And our fans will focus on our lads."
On the injury which ended his playing career aged 25: "It was a tough moment, when I needed to quit my career as a player at an early stage but if you're going through this hole in your life - probably you all have these phases in life as well - at one point, you come out stronger. That's what I tried to do."
Hit play above to hear more from Jaissle, speaking to BBC Radio Newcastle's Matthew Raisbeck, or listen on BBC Sounds here
Newcastle agree training ground site purchase for £190m schemepublished at 14:03 BST 20 August
14:03 BST 20 August
Ciaran Kelly Newcastle United reporter
Image source, NUFC
Image caption,
An artist's impression of the first-team building and not the final design
Newcastle United have agreed to purchase the site for a new £190m state-of-the-art training ground.
The club will acquire 260 acres of land at the Woolsington Hall estate owned by former chairman Sir John Hall.
Newcastle plan to build new elite performance facilities for the men's first team and academy, with the flexibility to integrate bespoke women's facilities as well.
A formal planning application is expected to be submitted in early 2027 with a view to the men's first team moving in for the 2029-30 campaign.
Chief executive David Hopkinson said it was a "landmark moment" for the club.
"Subject to planning permission, our proposed performance complex will create the world's best performance environment for our teams," he said.
"We'll develop purpose-built facilities that are geared towards developing sustainable success in the future, where players, coaches and staff can perform at their very best every day.
"We will be submitting a detailed planning application that not only demonstrates our vision, but also how we will preserve and enhance a historic estate, its biodiversity and wildlife habitats, and how we'll be a great neighbour."
The club said they were committed to delivering the project "sustainably and responsibly" and stressed they will work "closely with the local community and local authorities as plans develop".
Where will Newcastle finish?published at 08:23 BST 20 August
08:23 BST 20 August
Last season: 12th.
This season: 12th.
There has been trauma on Tyneside this summer. Some of their best players - sold. The manager who brought the first domestic trophy for 70 years - gone.
So, a challenging job awaits for new man Matthias Jaissle.
The momentum has gone out of the Saudi Arabian project with the departures of Eddie Howe, Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes from St James' Park. Uncertainty and instability reign.
Newcastle failed to land many of their top transfer targets, although Lukas Hornicek has arrived from Braga to address the goalkeeping problem, while midfielder Aladji Bamba is rich in promise after arriving from Monaco.
The same applies to Dutch midfielder Sean Steur, the 18-year-old signed from Ajax, and 20-year-old Bazoumana Toure, the Ivory Coast winger who has joined from Bundesliga side Hoffenheim.
Defender Amar Dedic has arrived from Benfica, having worked with Jaissle when winning the Austrian title with Red Bull Salzburg in 2023.
An experienced midfielder is key, with Tonali and Guimaraes gone, and Joao Palhinha has been mentioned after a deal for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg failed to materialise.
Jaissle needs a good start - and more players - to settle the Toon Army's nerves.
More points for bottom-half sides but bottom two cut adrift in 2025-26published at 08:19 BST 20 August
08:19 BST 20 August
Chris Collinson BBC Sport statistician
Image source, Getty Images
Teams in the bottom half of the Premier League in 2025-26 finished with more points than they had in years, meaning that judging them simply by their position in the table is perhaps a little harsh.
Everton may have been underwhelmed with their 13th-place finish but it was the most points a team in that position had finished with since the Toffees themselves in 1999-2000.
The points of the four places below them were all the highest they have been in the Premier League for 23 years and West Ham can consider themselves unlucky to have gone down with the highest points total for an 18th-placed side since 2010-11.
However, competition has come at a cost.
One place where the Premier League has become less competitive - because it has become more fiercely-contested overall - is at the very bottom.
While it is almost expected for one side to be cut adrift long before the end of the season, nowadays two sides are getting left behind.
The average points tally of the second-bottom side in a 38-game season is 31, meaning teams that finish there have usually competed in a relegation battle for most of the season before ultimately falling short.
After the Premier League was reduced to 20 teams in 1995-96, only two 19th-placed sides failed to reach 30 points in the first 21 seasons. But in the past decade, seven of the 10 sides to finish in that position have failed to do so.
In the past two seasons, promoted sides Ipswich and Burnley have both finished there with just 22 points - the fewest ever taken by a second-bottom side.
Relegation battles are now mostly a fight to see who takes the final spot in the bottom three, with the other two accounted for long before the final day - often by promoted sides.
But inspired by the survival of Sunderland and Leeds, promoted trio Coventry City, Ipswich Town and Hull City will all be hoping they have what it takes to match the competitiveness of the Premier League this season.
Newcastle and Liverpool to pay tribute to Keegan on Sundaypublished at 17:43 BST 19 August
17:43 BST 19 August
Image source, Getty Images
Tributes to the late Kevin Keegan will take place at St James' Park on Sunday when two of his former clubs, Newcastle United and Liverpool, meet in the Premier League.
The former England manager died in July aged 75 and both clubs will come together to celebrate his remarkable playing and managerial career.
The teams will warm up in special shirts and wear black armbands during the match.
Among several other tributes, a minute's applause will take place before kick-off and a display by Wor Flags will include both home and away supporters.
Fans have been asked to arrive early for the 16:30 BST kick-off.
Will Jaissle 'unlock' Woltemade's quality? Fans on Newcastle's attackpublished at 13:51 BST 19 August
13:51 BST 19 August
Image source, Getty Images
We asked for your views on what you think will happen in terms of Newcastle's attack before the end of the transfer window.
Here are some of your comments:
Steve: Sell Nick Woltemade at a loss in January if he doesn't improve.
Joe: Personally, I think Nick Woltemade is one of the most unfairly criticised players at the moment. A very good start and lost confidence when the rigid system that he was part of failed to adapt. Once the midfield experiments started, it just got worse. Anybody can be top scorer from the penalty spot, but for me, Woltemade has real quality and skill, and I'm hoping Matthias Jaissle is the manager who can unlock it consistently and as part of a new-look, more adaptable playing style.
Colin: Any chance Jaissle could tempt Ivan Toney over from Saudi Arabia and resurrect the pairing of Toney and Yoane Wissa? If I remember rightly, they did quite well at Brentford.
Jacassaurus: I always wanted Woltemade to do well, I was convinced he would. However, he doesn't seem to either want or know how to kick on. He's technically very good, capable of magic, but he doesn't press, doesn't get in the box, doesn't attack the game and doesn't shoot. Unless something drastic happens, I just do not see how he can succeed in the Premier League. I've never wanted to be more wrong, though.
Dedic 'an energetic, exciting, attacking full-back' - Fernandespublished at 11:34 BST 19 August
11:34 BST 19 August
Media caption,
Portuguese football expert Kevin Fernandes, speaking to BBC Radio Newcastle about the Magpies' new signing Amar Dedic:
"Amar Dedic is an energetic, exciting attacking full-back.
"He's really good at transporting the ball forward, he will charge into the central zones with diagonal movements and he is very combative in duels.
"If anything, he is over-zealous and over-aggressive at times. His temperament is a gift and a curse. The 24-year-old is explosive off the mark and he can dribble really well.
"The problem with these sorts of players is he is always going to be the final ball, but he is definitely going to make things happen.
"If he gets into areas where he squanders the final ball, at least, it is a good sign that he is in the right areas.
"Dedic is only going to mature with age, something which the Premier League will force him to do.
"He is very capable of playing at left-back, he doesn't just stick to the right wing, run down the corridor and stick to that.
"He is also very comfortable coming inside the ball. He is one that will give into the chaotic style. He wants to bring that back to Newcastle as that's what they were so known for under their peak under Eddie Howe.
"He is someone who will be exciting to not only the fans, but the manager. He has played under Matthias Jaissle twice before, and he is a player that can easily come inside and bring more support and give more space to his partner.
"Having a player who can play inside or outside, you can imagine that the attack can become very fluid."
Image source, BBC Sport
