Newcastle United return to St. James’ Park for their first home fixture of 2026 on Sunday, looking to build on a fruitful end to the previous year.
After securing a rare 3-1 away victory at Burnley to close out 2025, Eddie Howe’s men aim to exploit their formidable Tyneside form to leapfrog Crystal Palace in the Premier League standings. Notably, the Magpies sit in 13th place, just one point behind the 10th-placed Eagles entering this 20th round of action.
The Eagles arrive in the North East amidst a troubling six-match winless slump across all competitions. While Oliver Glasner’s side has shown competence on the road earlier this term, they must overcome a major psychological hurdle at St. James’ Park. Palace have been outscored 9-0 across their last two visits to this venue, suffering 4-0 and 5-0 defeats respectively.
Newcastle United vs Crystal Palace – Match Preview and Team News
- Date: Sunday, 4 January 2026
- Kick-off: 15:00 GMT
- Venue: St. James’ Park, Newcastle
- Referee: John Brooks
- VAR: Matt Donohue
- Last Meeting: Newcastle United 5-0 Crystal Palace, 16 April 2025, Premier League
Team News
Newcastle United
Eddie Howe confirmed that Lewis Hall should be fit to start despite an ankle knock sustained against Burnley. Additionally, the Magpies’ defensive crisis is finally easing; Kieran Trippier, Valentino Livramento, and Sven Botman are all nearing full fitness and are expected to be involved in the matchday squad. Anthony Elanga is also very close to a return, though he has not yet resumed full training. In attack, Yoane Wissa is expected to lead the line again as he regains his clinical edge following recent injuries.
Crystal Palace
The visitors are navigating an injury crisis, with Oliver Glasner describing his squad as being in “survival mode”. Chris Richards (foot) and Eddie Nketiah (muscle) are likely to miss out again, while Will Hughes is a doubt following an early withdrawal against Fulham. They join a lengthy absentee list, which includes Daniel Muñoz, Daichi Kamada, and Cheick Doucouré. Ismaïla Sarr remains unavailable due to AFCON duty with Senegal. However, club-record signing Brennan Johnson, who arrived from Tottenham for £35 million on Friday, is expected to be part of the squad.
Form
Newcastle United
Eddie Howe’s side has turned St. James’ Park into a stronghold, having not lost at home in the league since a late-September defeat to Arsenal. They have claimed 17 of their 26 total points on home soil this season. Furthermore, Newcastle have been defensively dominant in this particular fixture, keeping a clean sheet in each of their last four home league games against Palace.
Crystal Palace
The Eagles have hit a wall recently, picking up only one point from their last twelve available in the league. Their travel form has also dipped; while they only shipped five goals in their first eight away games this term, they conceded four in a single recent trip to Leeds. Palace have also struggled for goals in this fixture, firing blanks in four consecutive meetings with the Magpies.
Predicted Lineups
Newcastle United predicted XI: Pope; Miley, Thiaw, Schär, Hall; Guimarães, Tonali, Joelinton; Barnes, Wissa, Gordon
Crystal Palace predicted XI: Henderson; Lerma, Lacroix, Guéhi; Clyne, Wharton, Canvot, Mitchell; Devenny, Pino; Mateta
How to watch Newcastle United vs Crystal Palace?
This match will be broadcast live in the UK on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event.
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