Newcastle vs Everton – News and Probable Lineups

Two teams from the Premier League with ambitions for European qualification will clash at St James’ Park this Saturday, with Newcastle United hosting Everton.

The Magpies reveled in their first away league victory of the season when they triumphed 4-1 against the Toffees in the earlier matchup at the Hill Dickinson Stadium in November.

Match overview

Newcastle enters the match in high spirits, having won four of their last five games in all competitions and netting 15 goals in that span – their sole blemish being a 2-1 defeat to Manchester City in the Premier League last weekend.

Shortly after advancing to the FA Cup fifth round, where they will face Manchester City, the Magpies made history by reaching the last 16 of the Champions League for the first time, comprehensively defeating Qarabag FK 9-3 on aggregate, culminating with a 6-1 victory away followed by a 3-2 win at home.

As Eddie Howe’s squad prepares for a challenging European match against either Chelsea or Barcelona, they must now refocus on the Premier League, aiming to secure a position in the top half of the table and close the nine-point gap that separates them in 11th place from Liverpool in sixth.

In the Premier League, Newcastle has struggled, losing four of their last five matches and averaging only 1.33 points per game this season – a record low for Howe since he took charge and the lowest since managing Bournemouth, who finished with 34 points over 38 games in the 2019-20 season (0.89), leading to their relegation.

The team not only seeks to prevent losing three home Premier League games consecutively for the first time since January/February 2021 under Steve Bruce, but also hopes to achieve a league double over Everton for the sixth time; they have performed this feat more often only against Tottenham (seven times).

Everton, since their FA Cup third-round defeat to Sunderland on January 10, have managed two wins, two draws, and two losses from their last six Premier League matches, recently succumbing to back-to-back home losses against Bournemouth and Manchester United.

The Toffees were defeated 1-0 by Manchester United on Monday night, thanks to a second-half goal from Benjamin Sesko, leaving David Moyes’s men in ninth place in the Premier League, just one point ahead of their upcoming opponents Newcastle, who sit in 11th.

Everton has not lost three Premier League matches in a row since January 2025, and the last time they experienced three successive defeats in the top tier under Moyes was back in October 2011 during his initial term with the club.

Playing away has been beneficial for Everton as they have secured the second-highest number of away points in the Premier League since Moyes returned to the sidelines in January last year (38). They are also one of only two teams to allow fewer than one goal per away match in that period (18 in 22), the other being Arsenal (18 in 23).

The Toffees approach this weekend’s encounter having secured a 1-0 victory in this precise fixture at St James’ Park last season, and they aim to achieve consecutive away wins against the Magpies for the first time since the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons.

Team News

Newcastle’s midfielder Jacob Ramsey is a doubt for this match after not playing in the midweek win against Qarabag due to a slight hamstring issue, while Bruno Guimaraes, Tino Livramento (both with hamstring problems), Fabian Schar (ankle), Lewis Miley (thigh), and Emil Krafth (knee) are all still unavailable.

Sandro Tonali, Joelinton, Joe Willock, and potentially Nick Woltemade may be considered for midfield roles if Ramsey cannot participate. Woltemade might also be in contention for the forward position, competing with Yoane Wissa, who came on as a substitute against Qarabag after recovering from a minor injury.

However, Howe may lean towards utilizing former Everton player Anthony Gordon as a forward, even though he has scored only three of his 14 goals this season in the Premier League. Malick Thiaw, who netted twice against Everton earlier this season, is expected to return to defense after serving a Champions League suspension.

For Everton, injuries have sidelined Jack Grealish (foot) and Carlos Alcaraz (undisclosed), while backup goalkeeper Mark Travers is dealing with a wrist/hand injury and will be assessed prior to the kickoff.

Nevertheless, Jake O’Brien is set to return after being suspended for the match against Manchester United. The Irishman is expected to reclaim his spot at right-back, joining James Tarkowski, Michael Keane, and either Jarrad Branthwaite or Vitaliy Mykolenko in the defensive setup.

James Garner is anticipated to revert to midfield alongside Idrissa Gueye and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who has contributed the most goal involvements for Everton in away Premier League matches this season (four – three goals, one assist).

Newcastle United probable starting XI:

Pope; Trippier, Thiaw, Burn, Hall; Willock, Tonali, Joelinton; Elanga, Gordon, Barnes

Everton probable starting XI:

Pickford; O’Brien, Tarkowski, Keane, Branthwaite; Garner, Gueye; Armstrong, Dewsbury-Hall, Ndiaye; Barry

Newcastle and Everton have each recorded two wins, two draws, and two losses in their past six Premier League encounters. There is little distinction between these two teams, suggesting a tightly contested fixture may be on the horizon this weekend.

While Newcastle may be slightly favored at home, considering their recent league outcomes at St James’ Park and Everton’s stronger performance on the road, we expect the Toffees to leave the North East with at least a point.