[2026-27 English Premier League] Newcastle United vs Everton: Match Preview Kick-off: November 2, 20:00 UTC
Everton beat Newcastle United 3-1 in the League Cup. This time, though, they meet at St James' Park, where Newcastle are expected to start players who were on the bench before the cup match.
1. Match overview and team form
Newcastle United are rebuilding their squad after Matthias Jaissle's appointment and the departures of Bruno Guimarães, Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon (TNT Sports, November 1). Yoane Wissa is expected to lead the line, with Joelinton starting in midfield (RotoWire, October 30). Both came on at half-time in the League Cup match against Everton. Jaissle also urged his side to attack at half-time against Crystal Palace, and they won with two second-half goals (Goal.com, October 29). Still, Newcastle have gone 1 draw and 4 defeats in the five of their last 10 competitive matches in which they trailed at half-time. We should weigh the effective half-time adjustments alongside their record of failing to turn around games they were losing.
Jacob Murphy and Amar Dedić on the right were behind both goals against Crystal Palace. Dedić, though, lost the ball under pressure from Tyrique George in the League Cup, leading to Everton's opener. Jaissle said he should have cleared it (LiveScore, after the League Cup match). If Newcastle keep attacking down that flank, their midfield will need to cover the space behind Dedić when he pushes forward. William Osula is a major doubt with an ankle injury (Football365, November 1). If Wissa starts, Osula's absence will be felt mainly in the options Newcastle have to bring on up front later in the game.
Everton's three League Cup goals came from winning the ball through pressing and breaking forward quickly. But they failed to score in recent league games against Arsenal and Chelsea after conceding first. Moyes also said Everton lacked enough attacking threat when chasing the game against Arsenal (Sky Sports). James Garner and Thierno Barry are expected to start again, while there is some uncertainty over whether Hayden Hackney, who scored and assisted, will be in the XI (TNT Sports, November 1; Football365, November 1). Jared Branthwaite could also return, but Moyes's expectation that he would recover does not guarantee him playing time (Everton, October 30).
2. Matchup analysis
The first key battle is between Murphy and Dedić on Newcastle's right and George and Vitaliy Mykolenko on Everton's left. If Murphy can hold the ball and help Dedić advance, Newcastle can deliver the ball into the box from the right as they did against Crystal Palace. If Dedić loses possession under pressure in his own half, Everton could break forward and get a shot away as they did in the cup. Mykolenko is also a doubt (TNT Sports, November 1), so the defender facing Newcastle's right-sided attack will depend on who Everton play there.
The second question is where Everton's centre-backs deal with crosses for Wissa. Newcastle had 28 shots in the League Cup but scored only once, while Jordan Pickford made eight saves. With Wissa in the box from the start, Newcastle would have a different target for their crosses. If Branthwaite returns, he and James Tarkowski could get to those balls first. Newcastle also have a set-piece route, as Dan Burn showed with his late header. Everton conceded after failing to clear the second ball from set pieces against both Arsenal and Chelsea.
When Everton win the ball, Nicolás González and Joelinton will need to stop Garner's forward passes and Barry's movement. Joelinton is expected to start, giving Newcastle a different midfield setup from the first half of the cup match. But if Newcastle's full-backs keep pushing forward, the two midfielders will have more space to cover. If Newcastle take the lead, Everton will need to attack directly, as they did against Arsenal and Chelsea. If Everton go ahead, Newcastle will add attackers while staying alert to the counterattacks that hurt them in the cup.
3. Verdict and conclusion
We expect Newcastle United to win at home, with Wissa and Joelinton back in the starting side. If Joelinton can slow Everton's forward moves and Wissa gets on the end of crosses, this will be a different contest from the first half of the cup match. Dedić's forward runs offer Newcastle a route to goal, while also giving Everton a chance to attack through George's pressing and Garner's passing. Everton should score too, so we expect the margin to be one goal.
The market gives Newcastle a narrow edge because they are at home and Everton have yet to win away in the league this season (TNT Sports, November 1). We agree with the pick, but see Everton's transition attack, rather than their defending, as the main factor in keeping the margin tight. Osula is a major doubt, which also limits Newcastle's options up front later in the match (Football365, November 1). Our view would change if Newcastle held Dedić back more. That could reduce both Everton's chances to break and Newcastle's crosses from the right.
[Final picks · By market · Based on Betman listings] Full-time result: Home win. With Wissa and Joelinton back in the starting side at home, Newcastle have more routes to goal through right-sided crosses and set pieces than Everton have through counterattacks. Handicap -1: Draw. Even if Newcastle win, Everton still have a route to catch them on the counter after the full-backs push forward, which points to a one-goal margin. Handicap -2: Away win. We expect a one-goal home win, so a margin of two or more goals is unlikely. Over/under 2.5: Over. Wissa and Burn offer Newcastle routes to goal in the box, while Everton's counterattacking threat adds to the chance of both teams scoring.
