North East Derby Preview
It’s been nearly a decade since these two teams last played each other in the league, but it’s finally time for Sunderland – Newcastle again, with Newcastle surprisingly finding themselves behind their rivals in the standing as we’re edging closer to Christmas. Let’s take a closer look at this weekend’s big match from England!
Sunderland to widen the gap down to their rivals?
The last time these two teams met in the league was back in March 2016 in a game that finished 1-1. Newly promoted Sunderland have raised quite a few eyebrows this season, and despite a dip in form lately, they’ve still only lost 4 matches from their first 15. None of their defeats have come at home, and their manager will be hoping to see this statistic survive the weekend.
Here are their next league 5 matches:
Newcastle (H)
Brighton (A)
Leeds (H)
Man City (H)
Spurs (A)
Despite their dip in form, they’re still ahead of teams like Liverpool and Spurs in the standings. A win in this match does not only mean 3 points in the bag, but it’s also a massive win for their supporters who have been waiting for this match since the start of the season.
They lost 0-3 against Man City in their last match, but will be hoping to put that match well behind them ahead of this weekend’s big match. Luke O’Nien is unavailable due to his sending off in that match, while Habib Diarra and Reinildo Mandava are also unavailable. We expect to see Xhaka, Isidor, Le Fee and Geertruida in the line-up for this one, and they’ll have to be at their best if they are to grab a win against a Newcastle side that are also hungry for a win in the derby against their newly returned rivals.
Looking at the player markets for this match, here are the first goalscorer odds for a few of their players:
Isidor – 5.50
Brobbey – 7.50
Le Fee – 11.00
Xakha – 15.00
Can Newcastle leapfrog Sunderland this weekend?
It’s been a tough season for Newcastle, but after their terrible start to the season with just 1 win in their first 6 league matches they seem to be finding a bit more stability these days. Their only win in those six matches was against Wolves, who are still on just 2 points this season, so their lackluster start to the season truly was shocking.
Lately, they’ve been in much better form, even beating Man City a few weeks ago and drawing 2-2 away at Leverkusen this week in the CL. A win against Sunderland here will take them up to 25 points, which is the same as Man Utd and Chelsea are on ahead of this game week.
Here are Newcastle’s next five league matches:
Sunderland (A)
Chelsea (H)
Man Utd (A)
Burnley (A)
Crystal Palace (H)
Newcastle have a few more squad problems than their rivals ahead of this match, with Joelinton, Pope, Botman and Krafth all out injuried. Ramsdale will put on the gloves for this one, with Livramento, Thiaw, Burn and Hall a likely defensive line-up. Guimaraes, Tonali and the young talent Miley is a probable trio in midfield behind Barnes, Woltemade and Gordon.
As with derbies in general, form doesn’t really come into play here. This derby means everything to both sets of supporters, and the fact that the two teams are both fighting for a European spot in the standings right now, a win here could be massive leading into the holidays.
Here are the odds on a few Newcastle players on the first goalscorer of the match market:
Woltemade – 6.00
Guimaraes – 7.50
Barnes – 8.00
Gordon – 8.50
Predictions
Newcastle are odds favourites at 2.35 ahead of this one, with a Sunderland win at 3.20. We think a draw at 3.30 here seems quite likely however, with both teams hoping for a win but desperate to avoid a loss. Enjoy the match!
Please note that the odds might have changed since the writing and/or publication of this article.
Last updated: 11.12.25
