Sunderland hold derby advantage already amid hectic Newcastle developments
Sunderland are beginning to pick up form in the Premier League again.
After an immense start to the season, form had dipped for the Black Cats over the new year.
Regis Le Bris’ side have picked up four points in their last two, with their 1-1 away draw at Bournemouth followed up by a 1-0 win against Leeds at Elland Road.
Sunderland sit 11th in the standings, and are now back in with an outside chance of bringing European football to the Stadium of Light.
At the end of the month, they face rivals Newcastle in a huge derby clash at St James’ Park. Before then, what could be an uptick in form for Sunderland will coincide with an incredibly tough run from their local nemesis.
Newcastle fixture list hands derby advantage to Sunderland
Since their ascent back to the top flight last May, the Black Cats have largely had the advantage over Newcastle when it comes to the standings, while the derby win in December gives Le Bris’ side the chance to do the double at the end of the month.
A crucial factor between now and then, though, is the respective fixture list of both sides.
Following Tuesday’s win against Leeds, Sunderland are now preparing for an FA Cup fifth-round tie with Port Vale, where they are strong favourites to secure a quarter-final spot, while the subsequent league clash against Brighton is the only match standing in the way of the derby on 22 March.
For Newcastle, though, their Champions League play-off win against Qarabag has set them up for a big round of 16 tie with Barcelona, with both legs being played before the derby.
- Manchester United (A) – 04/03/26 – Premier League
- Manchester City (H) – 07/03/26 – FA Cup
- Barcelona (H) – 10/03/26 – Champions League
- Chelsea (H) – 14/03/26 – Premier League
- Barcelona (A) – 18/03/25 – Champions League
Including Wednesday’s clash with Manchester United just gone, Eddie Howe’s side have five fixtures in the space of two weeks, just days before they welcome Sunderland to Tyneside.
From a Sunderland perspective, the Black Cats simply have to take advantage of this.
- Read more: Gary Neville shares what he noticed about Sunderland fans after 1-0 derby win vs Newcastle
Sunderland have big chance to end season perfectly with big derby win
Sunderland fans could not have hoped for a better return to the Premier League.
While European football might be slightly too ambitious, the Black Cats have settled back into top-flight life seamlessly and have had the upper hand over their rivals for the majority of the campaign.
It has been a largely under-par campaign for Newcastle; on the other hand, it could be Sunderland who could hammer the final nail in the coffin with a derby double at the end of the month.
Howe’s side have an incredibly tough period coming up, and Sunderland have to take advantage of this.
With a trip to Barcelona just days before the clash at St James’ Park, the chance could well be there for the Black Cats to rub salt into the Newcastle wounds, somewhat bringing an end to their season in the process.
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