Chris Kavanagh will referee Newcastle United v Wolvesplaceholder image
Chris Kavanagh will referee Newcastle United v Wolves | Getty Images
Newcastle United v Wolves: The Premier League returns this weekend as Eddie Howe and Vitor Pereira’s sides square off.
Newcastle United’s search for their first win of the season continues this weekend when the Premier League resumes following the international break. Eddie Howe’s side ended August with a goalless draw away at Leeds United and will be desperate to secure their first three points of the season at home to Wolves.
Their opponents, meanwhile, remain pointless and are rooted to the bottom of the table after suffering three straight defeats to begin the season. Vitor Pereira’s side, though, will head to Tyneside with the services of star striker Jorgen Strand Larsen after rebutting late interest from the Magpies in the striker during the summer transfer window.
With potential debuts for Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa on the horizon this weekend, and a chance to really kickstart their season without the distracting noise of a transfer window in the background, Newcastle United will be desperate for a win this weekend and to set themselves up for a hotly-anticipated clash against Barcelona five days later. St James’ Park is braced for the return of football and a very busy few weeks with Howe’s side set to play five of their next seven games in all competitions on home turf.
Premier League reveal referee appointment for Newcastle United v Wolves
Ahead of the return of Premier League football following the international break, the Premier League have revealed which referee has been allocated to each game. Chris Kavanagh has been picked as the man to referee Newcastle United’s clash with Wolves on Saturday - and Newcastle United fans may not be too happy to see him on Tyneside on Saturday.
That’s because Newcastle United have won just two of their last eight Premier League matches in which Kavanagh was referee. That run stretches back two and a bit seasons with the Lancashire-whistler taking charge of three of their matches last season, with victories over Manchester United in April and, coincidentally, Wolves just-shy of a year ago, the only time they have taken all three points from games refereed by Kavanagh since April 2023.
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The 2023/24 season saw Newcastle United have a disastrous record with the 40-year-old as referee having lost on all four occasions that Kavanagh was the man in the middle for. Those games included 3-1 and 3-2 reverses against Nottingham Forest and Manchester City at St James’ Park as well as their bitterly disappointing defeats on the road against Tottenham Hotspur, a game they lost 4-1, and their 2-0 defeat against Bournemouth in November 2023.
Prior to that, Kavanagh was also referee during their defeat against Arsenal at the end of the 2022/23 season - a match that initially saw him award Howe’s side a penalty. However, Kavanagh was instructed by VAR to check his decision and eventually overturned the call after replays showed the ball had not struck an arm in the box, despite initially penalising the Gunners for a handball.
This weekend, Kavanagh will be assisted by Dan Cook and Ian Hussin at St James’ Park. Anthony Backhouse will be fourth official. Tim Wood will be on VAR duty back at Stockley Park and he will be assisted by Wade Smith.
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