Gameweek 4 brings Leeds United and Newcastle to Elland Road on 14 September 2026, with both clubs unbeaten through their opening three matches - Leeds sitting 10th on five points and Newcastle one place above them on the same tally. Leeds have gone draw, draw, win in the Premier League, picking up a point at Brentford, drawing 1-1 against Brighton and then taking their first three points, while Newcastle's record reads draw, win, draw, though their only win came in the Carabao Cup against Millwall. Both sides have been mean defensively in the league so far, even if neither has done much to worry the opposition goalkeeper.
Farke and Jaissle have never met at senior level, which makes this something of a blind test for both of them. Farke has been at Leeds since 4 July 2023 when he replaced Sam Allardyce, while Jaissle took over at Newcastle on 5 August 2026 after Eddie Howe stepped down, so whatever tactical habits each has built into his squad, they are going in without a read on the other.
Leeds are missing Mateo Joseph (knee/ACL) and Joe Rodon (hamstring), with Ilia Gruev also doubtful after a knee problem. Losing Joseph's link play up front and Rodon's defensive organisation simultaneously stretches what Farke can reasonably ask of his structure. Newcastle have their own absences to manage: Dan Burn (ankle), William Osula (foot) and Joelinton (thigh) are all out, with Ewen Jaouen and Amar Dedic also doubts. Burn's absence matters most in the context of what Leeds do from set pieces at Elland Road.
Leeds typically line up in a 3-4-2-1 or 3-5-2 that pushes the wing backs high to stretch opponents before delivering into the box, with Calvert-Lewin as the main aerial target. Burn would normally be the one tasked with picking him up, so Newcastle's cover in the box looks thinner here than it would usually be. Ampadu and Tanaka are expected to anchor midfield, with one dropping to receive while the other holds shape, which frees Calvert-Lewin and a second forward to run off the ball rather than constantly checking back to link play. Newcastle's 4-2-3-1 is built around quick counters and a high press Jaissle has drilled in since August: Elanga runs the channel on the right and looks to get in behind full backs rather than cutting inside, while Wissa is the central outlet who likes to spin off defenders and combine in tight spaces. Without Joelinton, the press loses its ball carrying from deep and the physicality to win second balls in midfield and it is not clear who absorbs that role for 90 minutes. If Leeds can stay compact and force Newcastle to sustain their press without that outlet, the visitors will fade. If Elanga or Wissa find space on the turn before Leeds recover their shape, that is when Newcastle look dangerous.
The two clubs have met 11 times recently, with Newcastle holding a slight edge of four wins to Leeds' two with five draws. The last two fixtures show how wide the range can be: Newcastle won 4-3 in January 2026, then were held to a 0-0 at Elland Road in August 2025, one a proper shootout and one a complete stalemate.
Leeds score regularly from set pieces at Elland Road, with Calvert-Lewin and the central defenders the main aerial targets and Newcastle's box looks poorly equipped to handle them without Burn available to organise the defensive line. The risk runs the other way too: if Leeds push extra bodies forward at dead balls and are slow to recover, Elanga has the pace to run the channel immediately and Wissa the sharpness to combine off the break before the back line can reset.
A 1-1 draw looks the most likely result. The absence of Joseph and Rodon narrows what Leeds can do, stripping them of their main attacking link and their most reliable defensive organiser at the same time. Newcastle carry a genuine counter threat through Elanga running in behind and Wissa's movement off defenders in the box, which is enough to keep Leeds honest even with their own injury problems. Five draws in the last 11 meetings between these sides points toward more of the same.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
