Overview
Many people predict Newcastle will face a difficult 2026-2027 season after the departure of Eddie Howe and some key players. However, what happened in the early days shows that Matthias Jaissle's young squad is not easily underestimated.
Newcastle is the team that lost the most points from the lead in the Premier League last season, with 27 points. They continued to miss the victory in the opening match of the new season when Dominik Szoboszlai's penalty in injury time helped Liverpool win a 2-2 draw.
However, Jaissle is still satisfied with the fighting spirit of his students. The 38-year-old strategist emphasized that Newcastle has dedicated themselves wholeheartedly and that is the foundation for them to continue to develop. He also praised the atmosphere at St James' Park, which gave him a special feeling in his first experience of English football.
Newcastle will temporarily put aside the Premier League to prepare for their first match at the Carabao Cup. This is the tournament they won in the 2024-2025 season, thereby ending their 70-year title drought. In recent seasons, Newcastle has also paid great attention to this arena when they reached the quarter-finals for four consecutive seasons.
Head-to-head history is also on the home team's side. Newcastle have won 7, drawn 4 and only lost 3 in the last 14 matches against West Brom in all competitions. At home, they have won 4 in the last 6 times hosting this opponent, besides 1 draw and 1 defeat.
On the other side, West Brom has just gone through a difficult season when they almost got relegated to the Championship, but things are going in a different direction in the new season. This team has won all two first rounds against Norwich City and Burnley, both of whom are highly rated opponents in the race for promotion.
After a 2-1 victory at Norwich in the opening round, West Brom continued to defeat Burnley 3-1 at The Hawthorns. Isaac Price shone with 2 goals in the second half, helping his team complete the comeback.
Previously, West Brom also defeated Rotherham with a score of 4-1 in the first round of the Carabao Cup. Coach James Morrison is satisfied with the team's start, but he also reminded his players that the season ahead is still very long and there will be many difficult times.
West Brom is currently ranked second in the Championship and is one of the 3 winning teams after two rounds. However, the upcoming schedule is not easy when they continuously visit the Northeast region, successively facing Newcastle in the Carabao Cup and Middlesbrough in the Championship.
West Brom's performance in the Carabao Cup in recent years has not been very positive. They have not been able to pass the third round in 18 of the last 20 seasons and have been eliminated in the first round for three consecutive seasons. Last season, West Brom stopped after a penalty shootout defeat to Derby.
Expected lineup:
Newcastle: Jaouen, Shahar, Thiaw, Schar, Hall, Bamba, Willock, Murphy, Woltemade, Toure, Wissa.
West Brom: O'Leary, Galves, Mepham, Phillips, Townsend, Whitwell, Molumby, Diakite, Price, Myhre, Morgan.
The match between Newcastle and West Brom takes place at 1:45 a.m. on August 27 (Vietnam time).
