Newcastle United will be eager to continue the unbeaten start to the 2026/27 season, while Bournemouth will aim to return to winning ways when the two teams clash at St. James’ Park on Saturday.
Gameweek 3 of the 2026/27 Premier League season will continue on Saturday with seven games. The latest round of fixtures begins with the game between Ipswich Town and Liverpool on Friday before the action on Saturday kick-starts with Newcastle United vs Bournemouth at St. James’ Park.
Newcastle United began the 2026/27 season with a promising performance against Liverpool, even though they had to share points in a 2-2 draw. While West Bromwich Albion gave them some trouble in the EFL Cup second round before the Magpies clinched a 3-2 win, they were exceptional in the 2-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, having absorbed pressure before punishing Spurs for their profligacy.
On the other hand, Bournemouth have yet to pick up a competitive win under Marco Rose, with their phenomenal unbeaten run ending in Gameweek 1 against Manchester City. The Cherries would have felt they deserved better than a 2-1 defeat, but the performance against Everton last weekend left much to be desired. With only one point in two games, Rose has a substantial challenge to get the team to adapt to his methods.
The corresponding fixture last season ended in a narrow 2-1 win for Bournemouth, with Marcus Tavernier scoring a late winner. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Newcastle United
Matthias Jaissle has no new injury concerns hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Newcastle United head coach will be bereft of the services of four first-team players vs Bournemouth on Saturday.
Dan Burn (ankle) and William Osula (foot) are long-term absentees for the home side, with the duo unlikely to return until October. However, Valentino Livramento (calf) and Joelinton (thigh) are closing in on coming back from their fitness complaints.
Lukas Hornicek is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Newcastle United lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Bournemouth on Saturday. The backline will feature Amar Dedic, Malick Thiaw, Sven Botman, and Lewis Hall.
As for the midfield unit, Nico Gonzalez should make his Premier League bow for Newcastle, with Lewis Miley lining up alongside him in the double pivot. Joe Willock will reprise the no. 10 role, with Anthony Elanga and Harvey Barnes being the two wide attackers. Finally, Yoane Wissa will lead the line for the home side against Bournemouth this weekend.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Hornicek; Dedic, Thiaw, Botman, Hall; Miley, Gonzalez; Elanga, Joe Willock, Barnes; Wissa
Bournemouth
Like his counterpart in the Newcastle United dugout, Andoni Iraola has no new issues to worry about ahead of the trip to St. James’ Park. The Bournemouth head coach will be without four first-team players on Saturday.
Eli Junior Kroupi remains the most notable absentee, with the French attacker recovering from his foot injury after undergoing surgery last month. The youngster accompanies Veljko Milosavljevic (knee), Julian Araujo (hamstring), and Amine Adli (calf) in the treatment room.
Djordje Petrovic is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Bournemouth lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Newcastle United on Saturday. The backline will feature Adam Smith, James Hill, Antonio Silva, and Adrien Truffert.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Lewis Cook and Alex Scott in the double pivot, with Justin Kluivert reprising the no. 10 role. Finally, Evanilson will spearhead the Bournemouth attack, with Rayan and Marcus Tavernier completing the numbers in the offensive unit.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Petrovic; Smith, Hill, Silva, Truffert; Cook, Scott; Rayan, Kluivert, Tavernier; Evanilson
Key Stats
- Newcastle United are winless in their last eight Premier League games vs Bournemouth (D5 L3) since a 4-1 win in July 2020 against a side managed by Eddie Howe. The Cherries have won their last two away Premier League matches against Newcastle United and have a 1.75 points-per-game average at St. James’ Park (14 points in 8 games). Of the stadiums they have played at five or more times, only at Molineux (2 points per game) do they enjoy a higher ratio.
- Newcastle United have won three of their last six Premier League games (D2 L1), as many as they had in their previous 13 (D1 L9).
- Bournemouth have opened the scoring in both Premier League games this season, but they have lost 2-1 to Manchester City and drawn 1-1 with Everton. No side has ever scored first but failed to win any of their first three games in a campaign in the competition.
- Bournemouth have drawn 19 Premier League games since the start of last season, four more than any other side, while only opponents Newcastle United (29) have dropped more points from leading positions than the Cherries (27) in that time.
- No side has faced more shots in the Premier League this season than Newcastle United (44), who only faced eight shots in their opening two games in 2025/26. It is the most they’ve faced in their first two Premier League games of a season on record since 2003/04.
Player to Watch
Anthony Elanga
While Yoane Wissa, Justin Kluivert, and Rayan were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Anthony Elanga as the Player to Watch for the game between Newcastle United and Bournemouth at St. James’ Park on Saturday.
The Swede has scored in both of Newcastle United’s two Premier League games this season. The only player to score in the Magpies’ first three in a Premier League campaign is Andrew Cole in 1994/95. Additionally, Elanga has put Newcastle 1-0 up in both top-flight games this term.
The last player to score the opening goal in the first three matchdays of a campaign was Alexandre Lacazette for Arsenal in 2020/21. With the Swedish international in such impressive form, he is quickly becoming the go-to player for Matthias Jaissle as the Magpies search for a long-term replacement for Anthony Gordon.
Prediction
Newcastle United 2-2 Bournemouth
Saturday’s match has all the makings of an entertaining match between Newcastle United and Bournemouth. The two teams have produced eye-catching performances in both outings in the Premier League thus far, though with the visitors still searching for their first win, they will produce a display reeking of desperation.
That may provide counter-attacking opportunities to Newcastle United, which may then lead to set-pieces, which have been Bournemouth’s weakness. In the last two seasons, the Cherries have conceded the most set-piece goals in the Premier League (28), and they have let in a goal from a corner in both games so far this season.
However, with Bournemouth looking impressive in the final third, there may not be much to separate the two sides. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-2 draw between Newcastle United and Bournemouth this weekend.
