Newcastle United and Sunderland will go head-to-head in a highly-anticipated Tyne‑Wear derby at St James' Park on Sunday afternoon.
Eddie Howe's 9th-placed Magpies moved above their 13th-placed rivals last weekend thanks to a hard-fought 1-0 victory at Chelsea.
But any momentum was brutally halted on Wednesday, when Newcastle were thrashed 7-2 by Barcelona in the second leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie – a match that brought up my recommended Bet Builder.
There’s no time to mope about that defeat, however, as Newcastle prepare to welcome their fierce rivals this weekend.
Sunderland, meanwhile, will be eager to bounce back after a 1-0 home loss to Brighton, a result that leaves Regis Le Bris’s side with just one win from their last six Premier League matches.
The Black Cats will be bidding to complete a league double over Newcastle after securing a 1-0 victory in the reverse fixture earlier this season.
How the bookies view it: Toon Army to triumph
Newcastle, who are targeting a third Premier League win on the spin, head into this weekend's showdown as odds-on 4/6 favourites with bet365.
Sunderland are as big as 4/1 to emerge from St James' Park with all 3 points on Sunday afternoon, while a share of the spoils is also considered unlikely at 3/1 with the same bookmaker.
Head to head: Rivals evenly-matched
Remarkably, across 158 competitive clashes in the Tyne‑Wear derby, Newcastle United and Sunderland are deadlocked with 54 wins apiece and 50 draws.
As previously noted, Sunderland secured a 1-0 victory when the sides last met, and a repeat of the same scoreline on Sunday is priced at 14/1 on bet365.
Players to watch: Go for Joelinton
I successfully backed Joelinton to pick up a card during Newcastle's 7-2 defeat to Barcelona on Wednesday evening, which was his 14th booking of the season. The Magpies midfielder looks like a prime candidate to have his name taken again here at 11/8 on bet365.
Elsewhere in the midfield battle, Sunderland's Granit Xhaka is another player worth considering for a booking at 21/10. Combining the two players in a Bet Builder double pays around 7/1 on bet365.
Predicted line-ups
Sandro Tonali had to be taken off during the second-half of Newcastle's defeat in the Camp Nou in midweek, meaning that the Italian is set to join Bruno Guimarees, Emil Krafth, Fabian Schar, and Lewis Miley in the Magpies' medical room.
Sunderland will head into this weekend's Tyne-Wear tussle grappling with a host of injury concerns. Bertrand Traore, Jocelin Ta Bi, Nilson Angulo, and Romaine Mundle are all sidelined, while Dan Ballard, Enzo Le Fee, Nordi Mukiele and Robin Roefs are listed as doubtful.
Newcastle: Ramsdale; Livramento, Botman, Thiaw, Hall; Willock, Ramsey, Murphy; Woltemade, Barnes, Gordon
Sunderland: Ellborg; Geertruida, Alderete, Cirkin, Hume; Sadiki, Xhaka, Rigg, Diarra, Talbi; Brobbey
Anything else catch the eye?
Backing Newcastle to hit the most corners, and Sunderland to collect the most cards, offers a value 11/8 Bet Builder on bet365.
No team has earned more corners than Newcastle this season, and they’ve kept their disciplinary record relatively clean, sitting in the lower half for cards.
Even more encouragingly, this exact combination landed in the reverse fixture earlier this season.
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