One of the most intriguing ties of the FA Cup third round sees Sunderland host Newcastle in the Tyne-Wear derby in one of Saturday’s early kick-offs.
Sunderland’s woes in recent years mean the Black Cats have not faced North East rivals Newcastle since 2016. The last meeting ended 1-1 in the Premier League, with the rivalry to be rekindled on the pitch almost eight years later.
The Magpies are the overwhelming favourites as a top-half Premier League side while Sunderland are in the Championship, but Eddie Howe’s side have struggled of late and their old foes are pushing again to reach the play-offs. It has all the early hallmarks of a third-round upset.
Here’s all you need to know about Sunderland vs Newcastle in the FA Cup this weekend.
Sunderland vs Newcastle H2H Record (Last Five Games)
Current form (all competitions)
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Country |
TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
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United Kingdom |
STV Scotland, STV Player, ITV 1 UK, ITVX, BBC Radio 5 Live, TalkSport Radio UK |
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United States |
ESPN+ |
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Canada |
Sportsnet West, Sportsnet Pacific, Sportsnet Ontario, Sportsnet East, Sportsnet Now Plus, Sportsnet Now |
Sunderland were victorious over Preston at the weekend and managed to navigate that game without getting any fresh injuries. That said, Patrick Roberts’ knock that ruled him out of that win will almost certainly keep him out of this one.
Bradley Dack and Dennis Cirkin are also absent for the visit of Newcastle, along with Niall Huggins, Corry Evans and Jay Matete. Sunderland are looking to do some business this month to bolster their promotion bid, namely trying to bring Amad Diallo back from Manchester United on loan again.
Sunderland predicted lineup vs Newcastle (4-2-3-1): Bishop; Hume, Ballard, O’Nien, Alese; Ekwah, Neil; Pritchard, Bellingham, Clarke; Rusyn.
Newcastle have been struggling with injuries throughout this season, particularly in the past month or so. Callum Wilson missed the Liverpool defeat with a calf injury and won’t be fit in time, but Kieran Tripper has an outside chance of returning.
Joe Willock, Nick Pope, Jacob Murphy, Elliot Anderson, Harvey Barnes, Matt Targett and Javi Manquillo are all unavailable for selection. Martin Dubravka has been filling in for Pope in goal, but Loris Karius could get a chance to start here.
Newcastle predicted lineup vs Sunderland (4-3-3): Karius; Livramento, Schar, Lascelles, Hall; Miley, Guimaraes, Longstaff; Ritchie, Isak, Gordon.
This has to be a great game, right? Fans around the country have missed this rivalry and there is something arguably even more exciting about it returning in the FA Cup. Even setting the rivalry aside, this has all the classic characteristics of a great cup tie.
The underdogs are playing at home and near the top of the Championship, while Newcastle have not dealt well with their injuries and the sheer number of games they have had to play this season.
That being said, they will be really up for this and should have slightly too much quality for the Black Cats on this occasion.
Prediction: Sunderland 2-3 Newcastle
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