Newcastle United host Hull City at St James' Park on 19 September 2026 in a Premier League Gameweek 5 fixture. Newcastle sit 12th after four games with five points and a goal difference of minus one, whereas Hull are fourth with eight points and plus three, unbeaten in four games including a 2-0 win at Manchester United. Hull's result at Old Trafford alone is enough to confirm they will not be passive here and after conceding four at Leeds, Jaissle needs a response.
Matthias Jaissle and Sergej Jakirovic have never met competitively, Jaissle having taken charge in August 2026 replacing Eddie Howe while Jakirovic has been at Hull since June 2025 and extended his contract in September 2026.
Newcastle's last four league results read L-D-W-D, the most damaging being a 1-4 thrashing at Leeds United on 14 September 2026 that ended Jaissle's unbeaten start, preceded by a draw against Bournemouth and a 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur on 29 August 2026. Hull have been far more consistent, going W-W-D-D in their opening four fixtures with wins over Manchester United (2-0 away on 22 August 2026) and Coventry City (1-0 on 29 August 2026) before draws at Aston Villa (0-0 on 5 September 2026) and against Chelsea (2-2 on 12 September 2026).
Newcastle's injury list is doing real damage: Nico Gonzalez and Amar Dedic are both out, which is where it hurts most given how much of Jaissle's ball carrying in midfield and out of defence ran through those two, leaving Lewis Hall to absorb a significantly heavier workload. Add to that the absences of Anthony Elanga, Jacob Ramsey, Dan Burn, Joelinton and William Osula and the squad looks thin in almost every department. Hull are not much healthier, with Charlie Hughes and Hidemasa Morita both out through groin injuries alongside Ilyas Ansah, Jack Butland, Elliot Matazo, Darko Gyabi and Nobel Mendy and Paddy McNair a doubt. Those two absences in particular matter: Hughes and Morita were central to the defensive shape that held Villa and Manchester United to nil in Hull's first two away games and without them that structure looks meaningfully different.
Jaissle has built Newcastle around a vertical, high pressing 4-2-3-1 designed to win the ball high and break quickly through Harvey Barnes and Yoane Wissa, with Lewis Hall providing progressive carrying from defence and Sven Botman anchoring the back line and the injury situation complicates each of those moving parts. Hull's shape, meanwhile, whether a 3-4-3 or 5-4-1 depending on the game state, has Mohamed Belloumi as the most creative outlet and their top scorer, Oli McBurnie as the target man who holds up play to bring Belloumi into the game, Ryan Giles providing drive and delivery from the left and Regan Slater screening and distributing short to keep things compact. Hull will likely ask McBurnie to do more of the retention work given their absences in midfield, with Belloumi looking to find pockets between Newcastle's lines when opportunities to break arrive.
The matchup between Barnes and Hull's right wing back is the one to watch most closely, given how much of Newcastle's attacking threat runs through that channel. McBurnie against Botman and Hall in the air is the other aerial contest that could decide the game's shape. With Joelinton and Ramsey missing, Belloumi may find more room than Jaissle would like if Hull can shift the ball into central zones, the visitor's plan is almost certainly to draw Newcastle high and play direct balls to McBurnie in behind rather than try to pass through a press they cannot match.
Newcastle hold the historical edge in Premier League meetings between the sides, though the fixtures have been limited and the rosters on both sides bear little resemblance to those earlier encounters.
Botman's aerial presence from corners is one of the few reliable sources of set piece threat Newcastle can point to with their attacking options reduced by injury and it could prove decisive if the game stays tight. Hull held Villa and Manchester United to nil in their first two away fixtures so they are not soft from dead ball situations either, which may make set pieces the most important phase of the match. Hull arrive unbeaten and a third game without a win would leave Jaissle's side in an uncomfortable position, the pressure on him increasing quickly if the home form does not hold.
Newcastle United 2-0 Hull City. The 2-0 win over Tottenham showed Jaissle's system can still function at home with this squad and if Newcastle's high press forces turnovers in Hull's depleted midfield, Barnes and Wissa have the pace to punish the space behind Hull's wing backs. Without Morita and Hughes, Hull's ability to sustain their defensive structure across ninety minutes diminishes and a second goal late on, most likely through Barnes or Wissa specifically given the lack of alternatives, feels the probable way this ends, handing Hull their first league defeat of the campaign.
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?.
