The Tyne-Wear Derby Has the Hallmarks of an FA Cup Epic

Sunderland vs Newcastle United

For the first time in eight years, Sunderland and Newcastle United are set to face off, as the latter hosts the former at the Stadium of Light on Saturday.

Newcastle United may be the favourites to advance to the next round because they’re the better team on paper. However, injuries have taken their toll on the Premier League side, so this is not a sure win.

With that said, Sunderland are in better form than Newcastle United since they are undefeated in their last three matches, and they are keen on inflicting more pain on their bitter rivals.

The Tyne-Wear derby is easily the pick of the litter in the FA Cup third round, given the history between Sunderland and Newcastle United. There is bad blood between the two fanbases, so SBOTOP football fans should expect nothing less.

Talking Points

Bellingham out to forge his own reputation at Sunderland

Jobe Bellingham is looking to come out of the huge shadow of his big brother Jude, and he is just doing that here in the Championship.

Like Jude, Jobe primarily operates in the middle of the park but can play an advanced role from time to time. As of this writing, he is one of the Black Cats’ top scorers with four goals.

The 18-year-old box-to-box midfielder has started in all but one Championship match for Sunderland since arriving from Birmingham City last June, so it’s safe to say that he’s off to a flying start.

In fact, Jobe Bellingham has been so good that Real Madrid are reportedly monitoring his progress since their scouts are impressed.

Who knows? Maybe one day we will get to see two Bellinghams on the pitch for Los Blancos at the same time, similar to what the Mbappes did in Paris recently.

Besides Jobe Bellingham, the other star for Michael Beale’s side is Jack Clarke. The 23-year-old winger leads the Black Cats in scoring so far this season with 12 goals, and he is capable of producing FA Cup 2024 highlights.

Losses piling up for Newcastle United

The Magpies have now lost four consecutive games in all competitions, including three straight Premier League defeats against Luton Town, Nottingham Forest, and Liverpool.

Newcastle United are currently out of form, in large part due to their injury crisis, which is not going to get better anytime soon.

Kieran Trippier and Callum Wilson are back on Newcastle United’s lengthy absentee list since they were not part of the squad against Liverpool last time out after sustaining knocks against Nottingham Forest, and Eddie Howe is hoping that their groin and calf injuries aren’t too serious.

The loss of Wilson, in particular, is a huge blow for Newcastle United since he is their second-leading scorer this season with eight goals.

With Kieran Trippier and Callum Wilson doubtful for Saturday, Alexander Isak, Joelinton, Anthony Gordon, and Miguel Almiron will continue to shoulder the scoring load for the Magpies, while Tino Livramento will continue to fill in for Trippier.

History

A lot has changed since Sunderland and Newcastle United faced off against each other.

During that time, the Black Cats spent most of their time in League One, but they returned to the Championship in 2022-23 and again have hopes of reaching the play-offs this campaign.

The Magpies, meanwhile, were demoted from the Premier League in 2016. However, they quickly bounced back, and with Saudi Arabia’s financial backing, they were back in the Champions League.

Believe it or not, Newcastle United are winless in their last nine meetings with Sunderland in all competitions (D3, L6) since a 1-0 road win in August 2011, which is their longest drought against their North East rivals.

And the Magpies have lost their last four FA Cup matches, going out of the third round in each of the last three seasons.

Betting Tip

As mentioned earlier, the FA Cup 2024 odds are in favour of Newcastle United, although their margin of error is not that big. The Magpies are at 1.69 odds, while the Black Cats are 3.60 underdogs, and a draw is pegged at 3.70 in the 1X2 market.

Without the luxury of fully rotating his squad, Eddie Howe might have no choice but to field his best group, which may turn out to be a blessing in disguise en route to a much-needed win.

Other than the Asian Handicap recommendation above, you may want to think about betting for Total Goal 2-3 at 1.88 or even Correct Score 2-0 at 8.25 in favour of the visitors.

 

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