Newcastle United manager Matthias Jaissle is under immediate pressure to end a six-game winless run when his side visit Crystal Palace on Sunday. The Magpies sit 11th in the Premier League with eight points from seven matches, having lost three of their last four.

Their defensive frailties are a major concern, having conceded 14 goals already this season. Only Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town have a worse defensive record. The run includes back-to-back 4-1 away defeats at Leeds United and Coventry City, and last weekend's 1-0 home loss to Aston Villa was met with boos at St James' Park. Newcastle managed just one shot on target in that game, a header from defender Sven Botman.

Chris Sutton, the former Premier League striker, described Newcastle's performance against Villa as "chaotic". "There is not enough in the final third in terms of creativity and they have a vulnerability at the back," Sutton said.

Summer overhaul yet to settle

The club spent around £250m in the summer on a squad rebuild, but many of the new signings were aged 21 or under and are yet to fully settle. Ivory Coast winger Bazoumana Toure and French midfielder Aladji Bamba have not started a league game, while 18-year-old Sean Steur has not featured since a promising start against Hull City in September.

Replacing the goals of Alexander Isak, sold to Liverpool 14 months ago, remains a problem. Club-record signing Nick Woltemade, a £69m arrival in August 2025, and Yoane Wissa, brought in after Callum Wilson's departure, have struggled for consistency. The sale of key midfielder Sandro Tonali to Tottenham for up to £100m has also left a void.

Palace test after European trip

Newcastle's next opponents, Crystal Palace, sit 14th in the table and are returning from a Europa Conference League trip to Turkey where they drew 2-2 with Besiktas on Thursday. Palace won their last league match 3-1 at home to Nottingham Forest but were heavily beaten at Brighton last week. The last meeting between the sides in April ended in a 2-1 win for Palace.

With a Carabao Cup tie at Everton next Thursday followed by a Premier League return fixture against the Toffees on 2 November, every match feels significant. The manager will be desperate to avoid heading into that Merseyside double-header without a league win in six attempts. The full fixtures list shows the challenging run ahead.

The original report is at bbc.co.uk