Newcastle vs Sunderland: Big Bet Preview
Credit: MDI
Newcastle United Vs Sunderland
(Sun 22 Mar, 12:00pm UK - Sky Sports)
After being comprehensively turned over 7-2 by Barcelona in midweek, Newcastle would love nothing more than to salve their wounds with a big win over their fiercest rivals. Of course, there’s not a lot that would please Sunderland fans more than compounding the Magpies’ misery either! With Newcastle’s chances of a return to European football dwindling, this game is a must-win to stay in the fight. As for Sunderland, if they can round off their remarkable return to the Premier League by doing the double in the Derby then that will be a dream come true. Expect big tackles and big drama in this weekend’s Big Bet!
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Neither of these sides were predicted to be swimming in the murky waters of mid-table this late into the season before a ball was kicked, but Champions League Newcastle have failed to hit their highs of last year and Championship play-off winners Sunderland have vastly overachieved in comparison to recent examples of promoted sides.
With just 8 games remaining, Newcastle sit 9th on 42 points with Sunderland on their heels with 40 points in 13th position. There’s still a faint hope of European qualification for both sides, as 7th place is likely to be at least a Conference League place, but this game is mostly about pride.
With bragging rights on the line, who will step up and make a big impact in this week’s Tipple Big Bet?
Form
Newcastle’s form is all over the place. Before losing 7-2 in Barcelona in midweek, they’d beat Chelsea away in the league and got an impressive 1-1 draw at home to the Catalan side in a game they probably should have won. Overall, in their last 8 games they have 4 losses, 3 wins and a draw. They’re the impossible to predict team and Derby day always throws an extra sprinkle of unpredictability into the mix, so who knows how this weekend could go?
The Black Cats are also struggling for consistency after their early-season form has began to tail off. Their only wins in their last 10 games have come against fellow promoted sides Burnley and Leeds and a victory over Championship Oxford in the FA Cup. With the rest being made up of just 1 draw and 6 defeats, including an embarrassing outing against Port Vale that saw them crash out of the cup, many are already worrying about Sunderland’s survival chances next season.
It’s Derby day. It’s messy. And neither side are in anything close to good form. We could have a corker on our hands, or it could end up being two poor sides trading mediocre blows.
Head-to-head
Sunderland’s record in this fixture over recent years is nothing short of remarkable, as I’m sure they’ll be happy to remind you at any given opportunity.
They, of course, won the reverse fixture 1-0 thanks to a beautiful header into his own goal from big Nick Woltemade. The game itself was a dreadful watch, we’ll be hoping for a bit more entertainment for the neutral this time out.
Newcastle won the previous meeting 3-0 in the FA Cup with the clubs in different divisions, so that result isn't worth looking into in much detail. Outside of that game, in the preceding 10 Premier League meetings between the two we’ve seen 3 draws, a solitary Newcastle win and six victories for the Black Cats. Form favours the away side in this one.
Newcastle haven’t beaten their rivals in a league game since the August of 2011 and haven’t beaten them in any competition at St. James’ Park since October 2010. Sunderland have won 7 from the last 8 Wear-Tyne/Tyne-Wear derbies in the league and have scored 9 and only conceded 2 in their last 5 trips over the Tyne. Will the travelling side extend their dominant run over their enemies or will Eddie Howe’s Mags start to turn the tide in Newcastle’s favour and rewrite recent history?
Key Battle
Malick Thiaw vs Omar Alderete
With both sides misfiring in recent weeks, and the added Derby day spice, it could be down to the two summer arrivals at centre-half to grab hold of this game and win it for their respective sides.
Thiaw has been a revelation since joining for big money from AC Milan, after a slow start he has developed into a genuine goal threat for the Magpies as well as holding his own in defence. He has 4 Premier League goals to his name already, second to none amongst defenders, and has been a monster at the back as he wins aerial duels with ruthless consistency. He’s not your modern day tippy-tappy centre half, he’s more a hark back to a bygone generation of proper bruisers. For a Newcastle side that have struggled with hit-and-miss recruitment as they scramble to claim a permanent seat at the top table, Thiaw is a standout buy. Can the big German make his mark on this fixture with another great showing on Sunday? He had a horrible time in Barcelona on Wednesday, time to make amends.
Alderete is in a similar mould to Thiaw, he’s big, hard, and terrifying. He swapped Getafe for Wearside in summer and has been a rock at the heart of a Sunderland defence that has shocked the division this season. He’s only managed a single goal so far, but his contributions defensively are where he shines. With his partner in crime Dan Ballard withdrawing from their last game through injury and Nordi Mukiele still recovering, it could be down to Alderete to pull a makeshift Black Cats backline together and drag them through this grudge match.
Preview
Whatever happens this weekend, we just hope it’s more exciting than the reverse fixture. Both sides have shown enormous holes in their game over the last few weeks that are clearly there to be exploited, the question remains as to wether either have the quality up top to actually take advantage.
Sunderland have had more rest, and Newcastle will be reeling after the embarrassment they faced in Barca. Will the home side bounce back with a statement win over their rivals or will Sunderland compound their misery in this weekend’s Big Bet?
Tipple Difficulty Rating: 9/10