Paul Merson talks about Newcastle United and Sunderland.
NUFC now seventeen weeks into the season.
A very intense period in which Newcastle played every midweek, with commitments for the Champions League and the Carabao Cup, as well as the Premier League.
Eddie Howe and team are now preparing for their next match.
Kick-off takes place at 2 p.m. on Sunday, away to Sunderland.
Paul Merson discusses where things stand now for Newcastle United as they prepare for this match on Wearside.
Paul Merson talks to Sportskeeda ahead of Sunderland vs Newcastle:
“What a game.
“The big derby returns to the Premier League!
“We say this every week, but Sunderland have been incredible, haven’t they? No matter how many times we say it, this performance on their return to the top flight never loses its luster.”
“Newcastle are scoring goals but can’t keep a clean sheet. The last time they prevented a team from scoring was seven games ago against Athletic Club in the Champions League.”
“On paper, if you look player by player, it’s a Newcastle win.
“But I can assure you that on paper this game can never be won! The Stadium of Light will absolutely rock and Sunderland will put up a strong fight.”
“I hate to do it, but I’m going to have to sit on the fence here. Sign for me.”
“Prediction: Sunderland 1 Newcastle 1”
My thoughts
As Paul Merson points out, the proverbial ‘form book goes out the window’ often comes into play when it comes to derbies.
The most important factor is usually which team rises to the occasion best.
Paul Merson rightly mentions that Newcastle United have the better players, so will they show that and do their business when it comes to an away derby?
This summer, Sunderland spent more (|£160m+) on new signings than any other club promoted to the Premier League has ever done. Honestly, they seem to have done quite well with their recruitment.
However, the fact remains that Sunderland have won just one of their last six Premier League matches, and that one success since October saw them lose 2-0 at home before recovering against Bournemouth. In their most recent Premier League match, they were defeated 3-0 by Manchester City.
In contrast, Newcastle United have taken ten points from their most recent four Premier League games, including a thumping win over Manchester City as Pep Guardiola’s side were fortunate to lose only 2-1.
If Eddie Howe’s team can play at those kinds of levels then I think Newcastle will definitely win.
However, as we all know, derbies are very difficult to predict and perhaps after the first 15 minutes we will have a good idea how this match is likely to go.
United last beat the Mackems 3-0 on Wearside in January 2024 and from the first whistle it was clear who was the better side. Hopefully more of the same on Sunday.
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