Newcastle United’s 7-2 Barcelona defeat could be bad news for Sunderland
Newcastle United were beaten 7-2 by Barcelona in the Champions League on Wednesday, which will surely fire Eddie Howe’s side up ahead of Sunday’s Tyne-Wear derby.
Regis Le Bris and his Sunderland team will have been watching Newcastle’s clash with Barcelona on Wednesday evening, as will many Black Cats supporters.
What they saw was a frantic game of football that the Magpies were still firmly in contention to win at half-time, with them trailing 3-2 and by an aggregate score of 4-3 at the interval.
However a second-half domination from Barcelona saw the Catalans score four times, leaving the scoreline reading 7-2 on the night and 8-3 on aggregate come the final whistle.
So, with the small matter of a Tyne-Wear derby on Sunday, Howe‘s side will have to lick their wounds fast as the biggest game in the North East footballing calendar approaches.
Why Newcastle’s loss to Barcelona could work against Sunderland
It was a rough night in the Camp Nou for Newcastle, as their hopes of lifting the Champions League ended in emphatic fashion.
Attentions will now turn to the Tyne-Wear derby on Sunday, with both sides not in the greatest of form coming into it.
| Stat | Barcelona | Newcastle |
| Possession | 63% | 37% |
| Big chances | 10 | 2 |
| Shots | 18 | 8 |
| Shots on target | 13 | 5 |
Most of the time, fans will revel in seeing their upcoming opponent taking a beating before playing their team, as it can knock confidence levels.
However, what it can also serve to do is light a fire amongst the group of players who were on the receiving end of a heavy defeat, and it most certainly demands a response in the next game.
Had Newcastle beaten Barcelona, that strangely enough could’ve worked more in Sunderland’s favour ahead of Sunday, as the Magpies may have been at risk of overconfidence.
But, that isn’t going to be the case at St James’, as now that fanbase is going to demand a massive response from them back on home soil, and so will Howe.
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Sunderland have proud St James’ Park record to protect
This season’s reverse fixture was a close and cagey affair, with Nick Woltemade’s own goal being the only thing that could separate the two sides back in December of last year.
As such, there’s every chance that it will be the same again on Sunday, as needless to say, this is a game that neither side want to lose more than anything else.
However, the onus might actually be on Sunderland somewhat, as they will want to extend their proud record at the home of their bitter rivals.
Indeed, Sunderland are unbeaten in their last five Premier League visits to St James’ Park, dating back to March 2012.
In that time, the Black Cats have won three and drawn twice, with their last league encounter there ending in a 1-1 stalemate in March 2016.
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