English Premier
2026-03-22 - Newcastle United vs Sunderland
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Sunday 22nd March 2026 - Kick Off 12pm
This game is live on TV
Newcastle United
In a tie that was played in four forty-five minute periods, Newcastle United more than matched Barcelona through the first three-quarters. Unfortunately, there was one more period to play and Eddie Howe's men wilted in the Camp Nou on Wednesday as the Champions League run came to a crashing end with a 7-2 defeat on the night.
Exits from both domestic competitions over the last six weeks and the European elimination means Newcastle United will only be focusing on the Premier League through the remainder of the campaign. Some believe there is pressure on Eddie Howe, despite all he has accomplished in the North East, and Newcastle United will be looking for a strong end to the season to challenge for any European Football. The Magpies are 9th in the Premier League table and 7 points behind the top five places, while they have an 8-2-5 record at St James' Park.
Newcastle United have won 1 of the last 4 games in all competitions, but that did come in the Premier League last weekend when battling for a 0-1 victory at Stamford Bridge. They had lost 3 home Premier League games in succession, but Newcastle United snapped that run with a 2-1 victory over Manchester United, while only an injury time Penalty allowed Barcelona to escape with a draw from this Stadium.
Sandro Tonali is a doubt and the likes of Lewis Miley and Bruno Guimaraes are hoping to return after the March international break.
Sunderland
The disappointing FA Cup Fifth Round exit at Vale Park is the low point for Sunderland in what has been a really strong return to the Premier League. That result at Port Vale in the midst of a run of form where Sunderland have struggled for consistency and the 0-1 home defeat to Brighton sums up recent performances.
There is no doubt that the fans are still behind Regis Le Bris and the Sunderland squad and they will be really up for this fixture. A remaining ambition as far as the fans are concerned is finishing above rivals Newcastle United and Sunderland are 13th in the Premier League table and just 2 points behind The Magpies. The side make the short journey to Tyneside with a 3-5-7 record despite the fact that Sunderland have scored only 8 goals in those matches.
Sunderland have won 3 of the last 10 games played in all competitions since mid-January and the defeat to Brighton means they have been beaten in 6 times in that run. After losing 3 away Premier League games in succession, Sunderland battled for a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth before the 0-1 win at Leeds United.
Robin Roefs, Dan Ballard, Nordi Mukiele, Reinildo, Enzo Le Fee and Wilson Isidor are all doubts for this fixture, although the manager will be hoping at least three of those names can play through the pain.
Head to Head
Sunderland beat Newcastle United 1-0 at the Stadium of Light in December.
They were beaten in a FA Cup tie hosting Newcastle United in January 2024, but the result earlier in the season means Sunderland are unbeaten in 10 League games against this rival.
Newcastle United have failed to win any of the last 5 Tyne-Wear derbies at St James' Park and had lost 3 in a row before the 1-1 draw in March 2016.
Prediction
The early Sunday kick off is scheduled for the Tyne-Wear derby and both Newcastle United and Sunderland should find it easy to motivate themselves for this fixture, even if the recent form has been disappointing.
The 7-2 crushing in Barcelona will have really hurt Newcastle United, but the team played well enough over the two Legs to retain some belief. Eddie Howe will have been very upset with some of the goals his team conceded, while Newcastle United missed a key midfielder.
Both Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes are set to miss out in the rematch with Sunderland after the 1-0 defeat at the Stadium of Light in December. That day really hurt the squad and the fans, but Newcastle United will feel more comfortable being back at home even if they have failed to win the last 5 at St James' Park in this derby.
Recent form at home has not been the best, but Newcastle United have plenty of threat in the final third and this may feel like a good fixture to bounce back from the Champions League exit.
They could be facing Sunderland at a good time with Regis Le Bris' team just hitting a wall over the last month.
6 losses in 10 games in all competitions is hard to ignore, even if Sunderland are unbeaten in the last couple of away Premier League games. They were fortunate in both matches at the Vitality Stadium and Elland Road and Newcastle United have posed a much more effective attack than Bournemouth and Leeds United in recent games.
Keeping clean sheets has been more problematic for Newcastle United and so there is every chance this could be a bit more entertaining than the first Tyne-Wear derby of the season.
Sunderland fans won't care about the entertainment level considering they won, but there was very little action in the final third.
In mid-March, both teams have plenty more miles on the clock, which could make it tougher to simply sit back and Newcastle United's style at home should open the fixture up, especially if they were to score first. Recent opponents of Sunderland have continued to create quality chances against them, but now those opportunities are being converted and The Black Cats may come up short with a number of absentees expected this weekend.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Newcastle United 2-0 Sunderland
