There you go. The real ‘Super’ Sunday is ahead of us when the two juggernauts in Manchester tussle it out for bragging rights in the North West, we’ve got two massive football clubs in the North East of the country going head on to get one over the other. Sunderland, now managed by the more familiar Sam Allardyce will go into this game following a narrow away defeat at the Hawthorns yet their form in this fixture is as good as one can hope from a Sunderland perspective, five wins on the trot and a game that usually sees them kick on and put a good run of results together. Allardyce, ahead of the game, sounded really cautious, in his first Tyne-Wear derby as Sunderland boss, went on about how his side were to control their emotions when there is an enormous pressure from the supporters in the stadium.
He said,
“My job is to remind the players of the importance of the game and control their emotions. For my team it is about delivering on the day like they’ve delivered before.”
The Magpies will make the short trip to the Stadium of Light on the back of a fantastic victory just in time before the derby, a 6-2 roasting of Norwich City at St.James’ Park. thanks to new signing Wijnaldum who scored 4 goals on the day. Yet, boss Steve McClaren called for a bit of calm ahead of the storm that is the game on Sunday and not to get over-excited after one good result. As the cliche goes, the form book goes out of the window in games like these and McClaren will look to turn it around for Newcastle United after a painful run of defeats and put an end to what has now turned from a couple of bad results to a mental fragility against their arch rivals. The Newcastle boss said,
“It is a tough game and we will have to play really well to get a result on Sunday. I don’t want a buoyant squad, I want a fully focused squad and one that’s ready to play the game. It’s been a normal week for us and that’s what we have tried to do. We try to be as level as possible all the time. We don’t pay attention to the table or previous results – what we do have is a fresh game and a great opportunity to come away with three points.”
Team News
Midfielder Jack Rodwell (ankle) is a doubt and Toivonen (groin) requires a late fitness test and so does forward Borini who not long ago scored the winner against Sunday’s opponents at the Stadium of Light.
For Newcastle United, Aarons is a doubt with the midfielder suffering a calf problem. Besides him, Steve McClaren will be without Gabriel Obertan, Sylvain Marveaux, Riviere and goalkeeper Tim Krul for the Tyne-Wear clash in the weekend.
Interesting Numbers
Allardyce managed Newcastle United 21 times in the Premier League (W7 D5 L9) between Aug 2007-Jan 2008 and will become the first ever manager to have taken charge of both Sunderland and Newcastle in a Tyne-Wear derby.
Newcastle have managed to score just one goal in their last 537 minutes of football against Sunderland.
The Black Cats are currently on the longest run without a win in the Premier League (12 games; W0 D5 L7).
These two sides have allowed the most shots on target by opponents this season in the Premier League; Newcastle (55), Sunderland (53).
Key Men Comparison
Fabio Borini (Sunderland) v Georginio Wijnaldum (Newcastle)
Having already got a taste of scoring the winner goal against Newcastle United, Borini jut knows what it takes to get over the line in games of this magnitude. He’s one of the leading goal-scorers of his side with 2 goals, not a great record to be honest but the team as a whole has been poor in front of goal. His role up front on Sunday will be key to Sunderland’s chances of adding a sixth win on the bounce against Newcastle United as they are sure to get chances to score, the more clinical he is, the better their chances turn out on the day to get their first win of their league campaign.
Wijnaldum has been flying in the league and showed what he could do on his day with four brilliant goals against Norwich City last weekend. He’s their top scorer with six goals and funnily enough the six goals have come from just 12 shots on goal, averaging a goal in every two shots on target. He has the abilities to change the game and usually likes to perform well on big stages and occasions (Man United away) and if Newcastle are to end their wretched run against Sunderland, he has to turn up big time at the Stadium of Light.
Betting Preview
If you want to back a home win, you can place a bet on BetVictor here at 31/20.
Or a draw at 12/5 on Betfair, here.
Are you optimistic about an away win? Back here by placing a bet on 10Bet priced at 19/10.
Prediction
A familiar Sunderland boosted by another managerial change versus an upbeat Newcastle United. A good ol’ draw for me. Cattermole to get booked inside the first ten minutes. No-brainer, isn’t it?
