Golden nuggets from Howe before Newcastle host the hopeful Blues!
Sunderland and Newcastle United meet in the Premier League on Sunday for the first Tyne-Wear derby in the competition since March 2016, with both clubs positioned in the middle of the table and separated by a single point.
Sunderland enter the fixture ninth after a strong return to the top flight under Regis Le Bris. Although they have won only once in their last six league matches, draws against Arsenal and Liverpool earlier in the run underlined some of their competitiveness. A 3-0 defeat to Manchester City, however, painted a much more realistic picture of what this team is.
That said, recent history in this derby also favours the hosts. Sunderland have not lost a league derby against Newcastle in 10 matches, and the Magpies have lost their last three league visits to the Stadium of Light.
Newcastle arrive following a demanding Champions League trip to Bayer Leverkusen, where they drew 2-2. Domestically, Eddie Howe’s side have taken 10 points from their last four league games, climbing to 12th and just one point behind Sunderland. Their most recent away league match produced a 4-1 win at Everton, their first away victory of the season.
The Magpies are facing doubts over Joelinton’s availability after he suffered a groin issue, with Nick Pope, Sven Botman and Kieran Trippier still sidelined.
Here are some of Howe’s Wisdom Nuggets, courtesy of NUFC.co.uk
YOUTUBE
On the significance of the game…
“My first communication to the players on the derby was tonight (after the Bayer Leverkusen game). We can’t take our focus away from our next game so the build-up to this game was all about this game and it has to be.
“As soon as the game ends and we focus on the next one, we knew the importance of this game. I had to make that clear to all of the players.
“There will be some new players who maybe don’t understand it as well as others so we’ll use whatever methods we can in the next few days to make sure that everyone enters the pitch fully aware of the importance.”
On facing Sunderland, who remain unbeaten on home soil in the Premier League so far this term…
“It will be difficult. I think these games always are because there’s a lot of emotion and challenges for the players to overcome to make sure we enter the pitch in the right frame of mind and where we absolutely need to be, which is focussed on how we play and what we need to do.
“The arousal levels are absolutely key because you can be too high or too low. I don’t think there will be many too low in preparation for this game but finding that place where the players play at their best is my challenge.
“Of course, you don’t want the players to overthink things. It’s a very important game but we’ve got to focus on our performance so all of these things will be important.”
On the task of delivering success for the city…
“It’s always about the team but you’re aware of your individual responsibilities. It means everything to me personally. I want to do the club, the city and our people proud.
“I want them to be proud of the team and players so that’s my challenge over the next few days.”
Howay!
- Date: Sunday, December 14th
- Kick-off: 16:00 BST / 9:00 EST
- Location: Stadium of Light, Sunderland (England)
For all your watching needs, check LiveSoccerTV.
Category: General Sports
