Key events
6 min: Hill hurls a throw into the box. It’s flicked on by Evanilson who darts to the near post but the ball drifts behind. Decent start by the visitors.
4 min: Tavernier strikes a low one with his left foot. It evades the wall but that’s easy enough for Hornicek to dive on to down to his right.
3 min: Evanilson thumps a shot which is blocked but Bournemouth win a free-kick just outside the D after Kluivert is fouled first. Early chance for the visitors.
2 min: Elanga on the ball again but Tyler Adams times the tackle well as the winger tries to forge through the middle this time.
1 min: The jet-heeled Elanga scampers down the right but loses possession as he tries to chop back. Bournemouth win the ball back and stroke it around for a while.
1 min: Away we go. Bournemouth get us in play.
Here come the teams! Some August sunshine adds to the sense of optimism and excitement in the ground. Giddy on those rays, Glenn Hoddle predicts either a 3-3 or 2-2 draw.
It’s certainly not the case with all Premier League managers but Marco Rose sounds more than happy with Bournemouth’s transfer window. That’s due mainly to keeping hold of key men, particularly midfielder Alex Scott: “Here’s a very important player for us. Happy to have him,” says Rose with a smile.
Table-wise, it’s 7th v 14th today. Look at Hull in that maximum points gang!
Here’s Newcastle boss Matthias Jaissle on why he’s picked the same starting XI. “The lads deserved to start again after the performance against Tottenham and that was the approach for today.”
And on whether new signing Matias Fernandez-Pardo will make his debut this afternoon. “Well, it all depends on the match. How is it going. I cannot predict anything right now, but he’s fit. He looks sharp in the training sessions, but we also need to be smart when it comes to the load management. He didn’t play for 90 minutes since a long, long time now, so that’s the reason why he’s coming now from the bench.”
Glenn Hoddle is looking well as he parades the ground during TNT’s build-up. Good head of hair still. Nice cardigan. Giving off a Brit-abroad-at-a-Spanish-golf-resort-vibe. Can still pick a pass no doubt. “These are a very good side,” Glenn says of Bournemouth, pointing out that the Cherries could easily have six points had the closing game situations been different.
Pre-match post bag: “It’s a delicious early kick off for us here in Aus, so my only (Toon supporting) mates have decided to organise a viewing, which only happens with the three of us once a season owing to life getting in the way / preference to live vicariously via our NUFC Instagram chat,” writes Chris Paraskevas.
“As much as we’ve made a promising start to life under Jaissle, things can turn very quickly, and Bournemouth also have a very strong record at St James’ and have been eager to bring us down to Earth in recent years.
“To make matters worse, every time me and the boiz get together to watch a game, we inevitably get hammered. Happens every single season. At least the host “Sorted snacks and drinks already,” though even that is a little disconcerting, given he organised them at 12pm and by now… well, the good stuff’s gone.”
A big question: do the two German managers know each other? Bournemouth’s Marco Rose (49) is 11 years older than Newcastle’s Matthias Jaissle (just 38) but, yes, their paths have crossed.
Here’s Rose: “I know Matthias from Salzburg because I was the manager there and he succeeded, not me, but the manager after me, or after the manager after me! I visited old friends at the training ground and we met. We had a talk, had a chat. I know he is a good coach, he has an idea of football and he brought that idea really quickly into the team of Newcastle. They are in a good spot, in good shape, play quite intense. They have a clear pattern with and against the ball, but the same things we have as well.”
Jaissle said in the build-up: “Today’s game against Bournemouth will provide us with another good test. They’ve also experienced a summer of change but have a top coach in Marco Rose, who I know well from his time in Austria and Germany.”
Newcastle are unchanged from the side that won 2-0 at Spurs last weekend. That means £51m signing Matias Fernandez-Pardo starts on the bench.
For Bournemouth, Tyler Adams comes in for Lewis Cook in midfield.
The teams
Newcastle: Hornicek, Dedic, Botman, Thiaw, Hall, Gonzalez, Miley, Elanga, Willock, Barnes, Wissa.
Subs: Pope, Livramento, Schar, Bamba, Steur, Toure, Fernandez-Pardo, Murphy, Ramsey.
Bournemouth: Petrovic, Smith, Hill, Silva, Truffert, Adams, Scott, Rayan, Kluivert, Tavernier, Evanilson.
Subs: Di Gregorio, Cook, Soler, Brooks, Christie, Gannon-Doak, Diakite, Juanlu Sanchez, Jebbison.
Referee: Rob Jones
VAR: Matt Donohue
Preamble
Hello! It’s a right old slog from Bournemouth to Newcastle (353 miles, over six hours in a car) but travelling Cherries fans have been rewarded for putting in the effort in recent times. They’ve won their last two Premier League games at St James’ Park, 2-1 last season and 4-1 in 2024/25 when Justin Kluivert took the match ball all the way home after scoring a hat-trick.
Newcastle fans might have looked at this fixture with trepidation before the season kicked off but not now. Oh no, there’s a buzz about the place after a bright start to the season has yielded four points via an entertaining 2-2 draw with Liverpool and a 2-0 win at Spurs. Despite the loss of a raft of key figures (including boss Eddie Howe) over the summer, new manager Matthias Jaissle has brought a fresh energy to the club.
Bournemouth also went German after Andoni Iraola did one for Liverpool although it’s been a frustrating start for Marco Rose. His team have twice been leading late in games only to emerge with a single point after a 2-1 loss at Manchester City and a 1-1 draw with Everton. Can he get his first win today? Let’s find out!