Looking to return to winning ways and reignite their European ambitions, Everton travel to Tyneside to take on Newcastle United at St. James’ Park on Saturday evening.
The Toffees have a score to settle with the Magpies after suffering a 4-1 thrashing in the reverse fixture at the Hill Dickinson Stadium in November.
Interestingly, that was Newcastle’s first away win of the 2025/26 Premier League season. They had failed to win any of their opening six games on the road (D3, L3).
Match Preview
Newcastle have won four of their last five games in all competitions (L1), scoring 15 goals along the way.
A narrow 2-1 Premier League defeat against Manchester City was sandwiched between Champions League play-off wins against Qarabag FK (Agg: 9-3).
During this run, the Magpies booked their place in the FA Cup fifth round, where they’ll once again face seven-time champions Manchester City.
They also made history in Europe, reaching the Champions League last 16 for the first time after comprehensively thrashing Azerbaijani giants Qarabag.
A stunning 6-1 away victory in the first leg set the tone before they sealed the job with a 3-2 win at St James’ Park.
However, that run of form is only a mirage when their domestic predicament is taken into account.
Newcastle have lost four of their last five Premier League matches and are averaging just 1.33 points per game this season, marking their lowest return under Howe.
Their only victory in that run came against relegation-battling Tottenham Hotspur, and that woeful run of form has left Howe’s side in 11th place, 12 points away from the top four.
Considering Newcastle’s next fixture sees them host Manchester United in Tyneside, dropping more points against Everton would be a massive blow.
Everton’s season has drifted into uncertain waters since their FA Cup exit to Sunderland in January.
David Moyes’ side have won just two of their last six Premier League fixtures since then (D2, L2), with their latest setback coming on Monday night.
The Toffees fell to a 1-0 defeat against Man United courtesy of a second-half goal from Benjamin Sesko.
Back-to-back home defeats against Bournemouth and United have taken some of the shine off what had been a steady campaign.
The Toffees now sit ninth in the table, just one point above Newcastle in 11th. Another loss this weekend would mark their first run of three straight Premier League defeats since January 2025.
You’d also have to go back to October 2011 for the last time Moyes’ Everton side lost three consecutive Premier League games.
However, Everton’s away run will bolster their confidence ahead of the trip to St. James’ Park.
They’ve collected 38 points on the road since Moyes returned in January last year, marking their second-highest total in the league during that period.
They have also conceded just 18 away goals in 22 matches, matching the defensive record of leaders Arsenal. Repeating last season’s 1-0 win in this fixture will take them one step closer to their goals.
Team News
Newcastle could be without Jacob Ramsey, who missed the midweek win over Qarabag with a minor hamstring injury.
Bruno Guimaraes, Valentino Livramento, Fabian Schar, Lewis Miley, and Emil Krafth are also sidelined.
Meanwhile, Everton have confirmed that Jack Grealish, Carlos Alcaraz, and Mark Travers are all sidelined, while Jake O’Brien is available after serving his suspension.
Newcastle United potential starting line-up:
(4-3-3): Nick Pope; Kieran Trippier, Malick Thiaw, Dan Burn, Lewis Hall; Joe Willock, Sandro Tonali, Joelinton; Anthony Elanga, Anthony Gordon, Harvey Barnes.
Everton potential starting line-up:
(4-2-3-1): Jordan Pickford; Jake O’Brien, James Tarkowski, Michael Keane, Jarrad Branthwaite; James Garner, Idrissa Gueye; Harrison Armstrong, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Iliman Ndiaye; Thierno Barry.