Premier League: Black Cats Will Look Forward to the Tyne-Wear Derby

Sunderland vs Newcastle United

Sunderland and Newcastle United will open a new chapter of the Tyne-Wear Derby when the latter visits the former at the Stadium of Light this Sunday afternoon, and this is easily one of the top Premier League matches to look out for this weekend.

The Black Cats have dominated this matchup in recent years and are ahead of their derby rivals in the English top-flight standings. With 23 points, Sunderland are the ninth seed and are tied with eighth-seeded Brighton and 10th-seeded Liverpool. Overall, Regis Le Bris’ men are exceeding expectations in their first season back in the English top-flight.

On the other hand, Newcastle United are three notches below Sunderland with 22 points. However, the Magpies are on a purple patch, having gone undefeated in their last four league matches.

Learn more about these two sides in this classic matchup, courtesy of today’s SBOTOP preview.

 

Talking Points

Discipline and work rate are key for Sunderland

Sunderland have entered one of the toughest parts of their schedule, as they’ve recently faced Liverpool and Manchester City. After the Newcastle United match this Sunday, the Black Cats will face another top-half team in Brighton before taking on Leeds United towards the end of December.

Regis Le Bris’ men almost beat Liverpool, as Chemsdine Talbi gave them the lead in the 67th minute before Nordi Mukiele scored an own goal for the Reds. Either way, it was a commendable effort for Sunderland, who played on the back foot.

They also played on the back foot against Manchester City, but it backfired. In the 3-0 defeat, Sunderland conceded goals from Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol, and Phil Foden before they were reduced to 10 men.

The Black Cats are punching above their weight due to their discipline and incredible work rate. Midfielders Granit Xhaka (166.01) and Noah Sadiki (164.69) are among the two of the highest distances covered in the league, while centre-back Dan Ballard is doing superbly in his first top-flight campaign. Ballard is among the league’s top blockers with 13 so far.

Le Bris will likely stick with his unconventional 5-4-1 formation, with Wilson Isidor, their leading scorer with four goals, up front. 

 

Gordon in fine form for Newcastle United

Unlike Sunderland, Newcastle United don’t have much time to prepare for Sunday because they are coming off an energy-sapping 2-2 draw against Bayer Leverkusen yesterday. Anthony Gordon and Lewis Miley overturned a one-goal deficit in the first half before Alejandro Grimaldo scored the gut-wrenching equaliser in the 88th minute. With a goal and an assist, Gordon now has seven goal contributions in the Champions League this term, tying Alan Shearer’s record for most in a single campaign.

Before this, the Magpies beat the Clarets 2-0, as Bruno Guimaraes and Anthony Gordon scored. Gordon also scored during the team’s 2-2 draw against Tottenham. The 24-year-old winger is certainly on top of Sunderland’s scouting report alongside Nick Woltemade and Harvey Barnes.

 

History

Newcastle United secured a 3-0 win against Sunderland in their last encounter during the FA Cup third round in January 2024. Before this, the Magpies were winless in their previous nine matches against the Black Cats across all competitions (D3, L6) since a 1-0 road win in August 2011.

Sunderland are one of the two teams still undefeated at home in the Premier League this term (W4, D3). Regis Le Bris’ side has more points at the Stadium of Light this season (15) than they managed in the whole of their last Premier League campaign in 2016-17 (14).

Newcastle United have never lost four away games in a row against Sunderland. The Magpies have both scored and conceded a goal in each of their last eight Premier League matches.

 

Betting Tip

The Premier League 2025 odds expect an all-out battle between Sunderland and Newcastle United this weekend. Despite being lower at the table, Newcastle United have the slight advantage at 2.23, while Sunderland are close at 2.97, and a draw is at 3.16 in the 1X2 market.

Choosing the winner of this game is difficult, but we’re sure that there’ll be enough Premier League 2025 highlights to go around on Sunday. Besides our recommended bet, bettors may also want to add Over 2.25 at 1.71, Over 2.50 at 1.98, and Over 2.75 at 2.21 to the parlay. 

Moreover, a Correct Score of 3-0 in favour of the Magpies – the result of their most recent encounter – is on offer at 24.00. However, the Correct Score of 1-1 – the result of their last league matchup – seems more realistic at 6.00.

   

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