Newcastle United are out for revenge after suffering defeat in the Wear-Tyne derby earlier this season.
16:07, 19 Mar 2026Updated 16:12, 19 Mar 2026
Eddie Howe has a selection headache in the heart of midfield.
Defeat to Barcelona may still be fresh in the memory, but there’s little time for Eddie Howe and his Newcastle United squad to feel sorry for themselves. The Tyne-Wear derby rolls into town on Sunday, and the Magpies know they need a huge improvement from the last meeting between the two sides, let alone their foray into Europe.
Sure, Sunderland won’t pose the same quality as the Catalan giants, but defeat to the Black Cats would hurt just as much, if not more than the humbling at the Nou Camp. A Nick Woltemade own goal decided a nervy affair back in December, with the match on Wearside lacking in any real quality from either side.
Sunderland and Regis Le Bris didn’t care and came away with the bragging rights for the next three months.
A downcast Bruno Guimaraes spoke to reporters in the underbelly of the Stadium of Light after the game, calling the defeat an embarrassment and a mess. It’s up to the players to put that right this weekend.
However, injury to the Brazilian means he won’t play a part in this weekend’s clash, nor have the opportunity to put that right in front of a raucous St. James’ Park crowd.
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Sunderland won the midfield battle on Wearside, with Newcastle’s midfield three of Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali and Lewis Miley all struggling. There’s a real possibility Howe could name an entirely different midfield as a result of injuries to the aforementioned trio.
Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali
When asked about Tonali’s injury after being forced off against Barcelona, Howe said: “I would say he was a doubt. He looks like he’s got a groin, sort of hip problem. I thought he performed well in the first half, and we missed him in the second period.”
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