Newcastle United welcome Sunderland to St James’ Park for the always hotly anticipated Tyne-Wear Derby on Sunday, with far more than just bragging rights at stake.
This North East Derby is not always awfully high on quality, but the intense hatred between these two clubs makes it one of the fiercest rivalries in English football, and the league table positions of both clubs will only add further spice to this one.
The Magpies are in 19th place but are only one point off their rivals in the sanctuary position of 17th. Sunderland are in somewhat of an uplift in form, collecting six points from their last five which is greater than any of the other relegation battlers.
Newcastle are in poor form, losing all of their past four matches. They do, however, have a new manager in Rafa Benitez, whose side showed positive signs in the one-goal loss to Leicester.
In the past few years, Sunderland have had many new managers in their second game in charge oversee a win over Newcastle, and the Magpies would love nothing more than to return the favour this time around in this potentially season-defining match.
Key Battle – Jonjo Shelvey vs Yann M’Vila
With a tight contest expected, this match will be decided in the heart of the pitch. Shelvey and M’Vila will be absolutely crucial for their respective side’s hopes on Sunday. Since arriving from Swansea City in January, Shelvey has been one of the standout performers for Newcastle, especially in matches at St James’ Park.
CrownBet match odds at time of publishing
For Sunderland, M’Vila has been a key reason behind their recent upturn in fortunes. The Frenchman was a standout performer in the reverse fixture in October, so if Shelvey can gain the upper hand in this individual duel it could very well swing the tie in Newcastle’s favour.
Team News
Newcastle have more injuries than anyone else in the league, with nine first team players in total sidelined. Key first team players Fabricio Coloccini, Papiss Cisse and Cheick Tiote are all in serious doubt, while Paul Dummett, Kevin Mbabu, Massadio Haidara, Tim Krul and Gabriel Obertan are out for an extended period of time.
Sunderland have a much cleaner bill of health, with only Duncan Watmore and new signing Emmanuel Eboue ruled out of the short trip to Newcastle. Lee Cattermole and Jeremain Lens have missed the past few weeks, but both are in contention to play, although they are unlikely to be involved from the start.
Head-to-Head
Historically, Newcastle hold the upper hand in this fixture, winning 53 matches to 50 either side of 49 draws, although Sunderland have remarkably won the past six meetings. It is already the longest winning run between the two, and on Sunday they will be aiming to win their fourth consecutive match at St James’ Park for the first time since 1901. To put it into context, those four matches date back to the first ever Tyne-Wear Derby played at St James’ Park in 1899.
Previous Meeting
Sam Allardyce had a home debut to remember courtesy of a 3-0 win in October which was Sunderland’s first win of the season. The match was not without controversy, however. With the visitors in complete control of proceedings, Sunderland made a break for it late in the first half and Fabricio Coloccini was accused of fouling Jermain Defoe in the box. The penalty call itself was debatable, but the decision to send the Newcastle skipper off only escalated Newcastle’s outrage. It was the turning point of the match and Sunderland went on the register yet another win over their fierce rivals.
Prediction
With so much at stake, expect a tight and cagey affair on Sunday. Being at home and within touching distance of Sunderland, the onus will be on Newcastle to force the initiative, but a stubborn Sunderland defence will look to frustrate the Magpies and ultimately a draw will favour Sam Allardyce’s men.
Newcastle United 0 Sunderland 0
*CrownBet odds at time of publishing are subject to change
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