Sunderland and Newcastle United will be eager to return to winning ways when they clash at the Stadium of Light on Sunday.
Gameweek 16 of the 2025/26 Premier League season will continue on Sunday, which will feature five matches. The action on the day will start with four simultaneous early games, including Sunderland vs Newcastle United at the Stadium of Light in the first Tyne-Wear Derby in the Premier League in over a decade.
Sunderland’s exceptional start to the 2025/26 season has slowed down in recent weeks, as they have won only one of their last six Premier League games. The run of results has dropped Regis Le Bris’s men to ninth in the top-flight standings. However, after accumulating 23 points in 15 outings thus far, the Black Cats are the favourites to break the promotion curse this term.
On the other hand, Newcastle United’s stop-start campaign continued earlier this week, as Bayer Leverkusen held them to a 2-2 draw in the UEFA Champions League. However, the Magpies are on a four-game unbeaten run in the Premier League, with the excellent form helping them rise to 12th on the table, only four points behind fourth-placed Crystal Palace.
The most recent Tyne-Wear Derby at the Stadium of Light ended in a 3-0 win for Sunderland in October 2015. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Sunderland
Regis Le Bris has new roster issues hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Sunderland manager may be bereft of the services of four first-team players vs Newcastle United on Saturday.
Luke O’Nien is the latest absentee after being sent off against Manchester City last weekend. Meanwhile, Le Bris has been sweating over Reinildo Mandava’s fitness due to a groin injury. However, the Mozambican full-back should be fit and available to take on Newcastle United, meaning Habib Diarra (groin) and Aji Alese (shoulder) are the only players in the treatment room.
Robin Roefs is an automatic pick between the sticks, with Sunderland lining up in a 3-4-3 formation in front of him vs Newcastle United on Saturday. The central defensive unit will feature Omar Alderete, Dan Ballard, and Lutsharel Geertruida. Nordi Mukiele and Reinildo should be the two wing-backs.
The wide duo will provide width in the final third and protect the centre-backs. As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Granit Xhaka and Noah Sadiki in the middle of the park. Finally, Brian Brobbey will lead the line for Sunderland against Newcastle United, with Enzo Le Fee and Chemsdine Talbi being the two wide attackers.
Probable Lineup (3-4-3): Roefs; Alderete, Ballard, Geertruida; Mukiele, Xhaka, Sadiki, Reinildo; Talbi, Brobbey, Le Fee
Newcastle United
Like his counterpart in the Sunderland dugout, Eddie Howe has a new injury concern to worry about ahead of the short trip to the Stadium of Light. The Newcastle United manager may be without as many as half a dozen first-team players on Sunday.
Howe is sweating over Joelinton’s fitness after the Brazilian international picked up a groin injury earlier this week against Bayer Leverkusen. Meanwhile, Nick Pope (groin), Sven Botman (lower back), Emil Krafth (knee), Kieran Trippier (hamstring), and William Osula (ankle) remain in the treatment room.
Aaron Ramsdale will continue to deputise for Pope between the sticks, with Newcastle United lining up in a 4-3-3 formation in front of him vs Sunderland on Sunday. The backline will feature Valentino Livramento, Malick Thiaw, Fabian Schar, and Dan Burn.
As for the midfield unit, there is no looking past Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali, and Lewis Miley in the middle of the park due to Joelinton’s fitness issues. Finally, Nick Woltemade will spearhead the Newcastle United attack against Sunderland on Sunday, with Anthony Gordon and Jacob Murphy being the two wide attackers. So, Harvey Barnes and Anthony Elanga will be the backup options on the bench.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Ramsdale; Livramento, Thiaw, Schar, Burn; Guimaraes, Tonali, Miley; Murphy, Woltemade, Gordon
Key Stats
- Sunderland are unbeaten in their last nine league games vs Newcastle (W6 D3), with Sunday’s clash the first Tyne-Wear Derby in a league since a 1-1 draw at St. James’ Park in March 2016. The Magpies have lost their three most recent away league games against Sunderland, more than they had in their previous 21 visits combined (W6 D13 L2). They have never lost four successive matches at the Mackems before. Sunderland’s current run is their longest-ever unbeaten league streak against Newcastle (W6 D3).
- Along with Arsenal, Sunderland are one of two teams still unbeaten at home in the Premier League this season (W4 D3). The Black Cats have more points at the Stadium of Light this term (15) than they managed in the whole of their most recent campaign in the top flight (14 in 2016/17).
- Newcastle United have scored and conceded a goal in their eight most recent Premier League games. They last had a longer such run in the top flight between December 1960 and March 1961 (13 games).
- Newcastle United have won three of their last four Premier League games (D1), as many as they had in their previous 13 (D3 L7). The Magpies’ 4-1 win at Everton in their most recent away game ended a run of nine without a win on the road (D4 L5).
- Only Burnley (12.3) have a lower expected goals total than Sunderland (13) in the Premier League this term. However, with 18 goals, the Black Cats are fourth for xG overperformance this term (+5). Meanwhile, no team has gained more points from losing positions in the Premier League than Sunderland this season (12), while no side has lost more from winning positions thus far in the 2025/26 campaign than Newcastle United (11).
Player to Watch
Bruno Guimaraes
While Anthony Gordon, Brian Brobbey, and Granit Xhaka were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Bruno Guimaraes as the Player to Watch for Sunday’s Premier League clash between Sunderland and Newcastle United at the Stadium of Light.
The Brazilian international has scored five Premier League goals this season, only netting more in a single campaign in 2023/24 (7). However, all five of his strikes this term have come in home games, while nine of his last ten overall have come at St. James’ Park. So, he will be eager to finally score an away goal and help Newcastle United continue the recent unbeaten run in the top flight.
Prediction
Sunderland 2-2 Newcastle United
The first Premier League Tyne-Wear Derby in a decade is unlikely to be a snooze fest. Instead, one should expect the proverbial barn burner when Sunderland and Newcastle United clash at the Stadium of Light this weekend. With the Tyneside outfit scoring and conceding in eight successive matches, a closely-contested affair is on the cards.
However, while the visitors will fancy their prospects of continuing their unbeaten run, a win is not on the cards due to Sunderland’s solid performances at the Stadium of Light. The home fans will push the Black Cats to produce a top-notch performance, and a stalemate is on the cards. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-2 draw between Sunderland and Newcastle United this weekend.
