Preview: Leeds United vs Newcastle United - prediction, team news, lineups

On the back of contrasting results in the EFL Cup, Leeds United and Newcastle United close out Premier League gameweek four at Elland Road on Monday night.

The Whites came out on the wrong end of a nine-goal thriller with Chelsea in midweek, while the Magpies edged out Millwall 1-0 to prolong their unbeaten start to life under Matthias Jaissle.

Match preview

While Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer engaged in interview-room banter over the man of the match award, Daniel Farke was left to lament a Leeds collapse at Stamford Bridge, where taking a two-goal lead against Chelsea in the League Cup third round was only a harbinger of doom.

The Whites' 6-3 reverse to Xabi Alonso's side marked their first defeat of the season in any competition, although Monday's hosts can take some pride knowing that the Spaniard had to call on the multi-million pound cavalry to inspire their colossal comeback.

Now purely focused on Premier League matters for the next few months - until the FA Cup rolls around - Leeds were one of only eight teams to avoid defeat in each of the first three rounds, although last weekend's 1-1 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion was two points dropped as opposed to one gained after Luka Vuskovic cancelled out Jayden Bogle's opener.

Nevertheless, Farke's 2026-27 Leeds crop can now become just the fourth Whites team to go unbeaten in their first four Premier League matches of the season, a feat they have not achieved since the 2001-02 season, when they wound up in fifth place.

Furthermore, only one of the hosts' last 12 Premier League matches has ended in defeat - although six in that sequence have ended level - and no defence has been able to shut out Farke's men in front of goal so far in 2026-27. 

Another member of the undefeated octet after three Premier League games, Newcastle enter gameweek four above Leeds in the early-season Premier League standings thanks to a marginally superior goal difference, having netted and conceded double the Whites' total thus far.

Also collecting five points courtesy of a solitary victory and two stalemates, Newcastle's powers of recovery - and Bournemouth's propensity for dropping points - was on show at St James' Park last weekend, when the Magpies fought back from 2-0 down to salvage a 2-2 draw.

Newcastle's terrific turnaround maintained their record of scoring at least two goals in every game this season, although that streak ended - inconsequentially - in midweek, when Joe Willock scored the only goal against Millwall in the EFL Cup third round.

One for one in Premier League away games in 2026-27 after their win at Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle can match a 31-year best on Monday, when they will attempt to win both of their first two top-flight road matches of a campaign for the first time since 1995-96.

The Magpies' chances of doing so are boosted by a six-game unbeaten run against Leeds in the Premier League, although January's absorbing 4-3 home win over the Whites only arrived courtesy of the joint second-latest goal in the tournament's history - Harvey Barnes on 101 minutes and 48 seconds. 

Leeds United Premier League form:

Leeds United form (all competitions):

Newcastle United Premier League form:

Newcastle United form (all competitions):

Team News

© Iconsport / Mark Fletcher/MI News & Sport/Alamy

Leeds travelled home from Stamford Bridge with no new injuries to worry about, and Farke hinted that midfielder Ilia Gruev could be fit to return from a knee problem on Monday night.

The Whites boss told reporters at his pre-game press conference that his only fitness concern was Joe Rodon - out for eight to 10 weeks with a thigh injury - although Mateo Joseph is also working his way back from an ACL problem.

After making changes in abundance in the EFL Cup, Farke will revert to his strongest XI at Elland Road, where Dominic Calvert-Lewin will endeavour to build on a personal best of seven Premier League goals against Newcastle - his favourite opponent in the competition.

On Newcastle's end, Jaissle was forced to bring off Amar Dedic at half time in the cup win over Millwall due to hamstring discomfort, although the right-back's problem is not believed to be serious.

Should Jaissle decide not to risk Dedic, the Magpies boss could hand Tino Livramento his first start of the season; the Englishman completed 45 minutes against Millwall after a brief cameo against Bournemouth, his first appearance of the campaign after a knee problem.

Joelinton (thigh), Dan Burn (ankle) and William Osula (ankle) are expected to remain out until after the international break, but Ewen Jaouen might be in with a chance of returning from his own ankle issue.

Leeds United possible starting lineup:

Trafford; Justin, Muharemovic, Elvedi; Bogle, Stach, Tanaka, Ampadu, Gudmundsson; Calvert-Lewin, Okafor

Newcastle United possible starting lineup:

Hornicek; Livramento, Thiaw, Botman, Hall; Gonzalez, Miley; Elanga, Willock, Barnes; Wissa

We say: Leeds United 2-2 Newcastle United

Newcastle arrive in West Yorkshire having had an extra day to recuperate from their EFL Cup exertions, but Farke rotated his resources more than his opposite number Jaissle, who faces a predicament at right-back in particular.

With Newcastle conceding more shots (61) than any other team in the first three gameweeks, and Leeds applying the second-most high-intensity pressures in the opposition's half (528), we can envisage both sides maintaining their unbeaten league runs in a mesmerising draw.

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