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Louise Taylor
Almost two decades have passed since Newcastle’s former owner, Mike Ashley, celebrated a Tyne-Wear derby win by gathering a group of club employees together and leading a conga into the St James’ Park boardroom. Sunderland’s then chair, Niall Quinn, and his fellow executives were already inside and responded with polite smiles as they, outwardly at least, failed to take offence. Perhaps fortunately, the visiting manager, Roy Keane, was elsewhere.
Fast forward 18 years and almost regardless of the score when Newcastle host Sunderland on Sunday, the only potential post-match boardroom invasion on the agenda involves a herd of elephants. For no one at Newcastle seems quite ready to spell it out yet, but when Eddie Howe’s team lost 7-2 – 8-3 on aggregate – at Barcelona on Wednesday night and the camouflaging distraction of a Champions League campaign was ripped away, a series of awkward questions resurfaced.
How are you feeling out there, in Newcastle and Sunderland? You can mail me.
Note: You can email me from anywhere in the world, not just Newcastle and Sunderland.
“I think midweek was such a contrasting day of emotions,” Eddie Howe says of the Barcelona battering. “We played really well in the 1st half … it was a bad 45 mins for us, and there’s maybe been an overreaction to that.
“We were immediately focused on this game. Good recovery, good travel back, good preparation to make sure we’re ready.
“We’ve had quite a few things thrown at us this year, a lot of games. We know the importance of the game today. We’ll have to be at our very best.”
He is asked about the absent Sandro Tonali. “We’re running out of central midfielders. A slight reshuffle today. But I still like the team we’ve picked a lot of good attacking players in there.
“We’re at home. We like the players we’ve picked. We’ve got better with the ball through the season … we hope we can be good in attack again. Sunderland have defended well this season.
“Patience. We’re going to need a lot of qualities today. Set-pieces will be important. We’re going to have to get a lot right.”
His Majesty’s Sky Sports have 10 hours of live football on today, including Tottenham v Forest, and the Milk Cup final. Jamie Carragher looks like he wants to go home already.
Louise Taylor
Eddie Howe has asked his Newcastle players to approach the Tyne-Wear derby as if “their lives depend on winning it”. Howe is desperate to end not merely his club’s 10-game winless run in league meetings with Sunderland but avenge the December defeat at the Stadium of Light when Nick Woltemade’s spectacular own goal gave Régis Le Bris’s side victory. While much may be contingent on the psychological fallout of Newcastle’s 7-2 Champions League defeat at Barcelona on Wednesday night, injuries could also shape the outcome. While Howe is hoping Sandro Tonali can overcome a groin problem, Le Bris waits to see whether a raft of key players in Robin Roefs, Nordi Mukiele, Dan Ballard, Reinildo and Enzo Le Fée will be fit to start at St James’ Park. Goals have not exactly been free-flowing for Sunderland in recent weeks but their manager can only be heartened by Newcastle’s failure to keep a clean sheet in all but five of their last 35 games.
Teams
Sandro Tonali and Malick Thiaw are the two players to drop out of Eddie Howe’s starting lineup from the midweek encounter against Barcelona. Tonali has a hip or groin injury. Sven Botman and Nick Woltemade are in.
One change for Sunderland following last weekend’s defeat by Brighton: Luke O’Nien in, Dan Ballard out.
Newcastle: Ramsdale, Trippier, Botman, Burn, Hall, Ramsey, Joelinton, Woltemade, Elanga, Gordon, Barnes. Substitutes: Pope, Wissa, Thiaw, Osula, Livramento, Jacob Murphy, Willock, Alex Murphy, Neave.
Sunderland: Ellborg, Geertruida, O’Nien, Alderete, Hume, Xhaka, Rigg, Diarra, Sadiki, Talbi, Brobbey. Substitutes: Moore, Cirkin, Mayenda, Mandava, Isidor, Mukiele, Le Fee, Harrison Jones, Jenson Jones.
Referee: Anthony Taylor (Cheshire)
Preamble
It’s a big week for Newcastle. Some might say massive. They initially gave an excellent account of themselves against Barcelona on Wednesday, trailing 3-2 after an enthralling first half. The second half did not go so well. Eddie Howe’s men were eventually beaten 7-2 on the night and 8-3 on aggregate, overwhelmed by Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and co.
The sporting challenge against Sunderland will be quite different – let’s be honest, they have a somewhat less free-flowing style than Barça – but if Eddie Howe’s side can achieve a first top-flight win against the Black Cats since 2010, the Camp Nou capitulation will be forgiven and forgotten.
Régis Le Bris and his Sunderland players arrive with the incentive that three points would see them leapfrog Newcastle: the Magpies are 11th, on 42pts, today’s visitors are 13th, sitting on the symbolic figure of 40. History is absolutely on Sunderland’s side, in that they have won seven and drawn three of the past 10 league meetings between these sides. Howe will hope history counts for nothing this afternoon.
Kick-off: 12pm GMT
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