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Three Newcastle United Fixtures Rescheduled — Including the Tyne-Wear Derby
Three of Newcastle United’s upcoming fixtures have been rescheduled, with the highly anticipated Tyne-Wear derby against Sunderland among the changes.
The clash — Newcastle’s first Premier League meeting with Sunderland since 2016 — has been moved to accommodate live coverage on Sky Sports and TNT Sports. Originally set for Saturday, December 13, the game at the Stadium of Light will now take place following Newcastle’s midweek Champions League trip to Bayer Leverkusen.
The last time the two rivals faced each other was in January 2024, when Eddie Howe’s side cruised to a 3–0 win in the FA Cup. Their most recent league encounter came in 2016, when Aleksandar Mitrovic scored a late header to secure a 1–1 draw at St James’ Park — a result that wasn’t enough to prevent Newcastle’s relegation that season. Sunderland themselves dropped out of the top flight a year later, spending nearly a decade in the lower leagues before winning promotion through the Championship play-offs last term.
Back in the Premier League, Sunderland have made a strong start, collecting 11 points from their first seven matches, which sees them sit ninth in the table. Newcastle, meanwhile, trail by two points in 11th place. With eight league games still to play before the derby, both clubs’ positions could look very different by the time December arrives.
Eddie Howe on the Tyne-Wear Derby Return
Asked about the long-awaited renewal of the fierce rivalry, Newcastle boss Eddie Howe admitted he’s aware of the excitement surrounding the fixture but insists his focus remains on the challenges ahead.
“I think I was asked this yesterday and I very much sat on the fence,” Howe said when quizzed about the prospect of facing Sunderland before their promotion. “If the games come, we’ll embrace them. The play-offs always bring drama — so we’ll wait and see.”
After Sunderland’s promotion was confirmed, Howe added:
“Well, it will mean a lot when we come to face them. There’s been a lot of talk — I’ve already done interviews where one of the main topics has been Sunderland. For me, that moment isn’t here yet. It’ll come when those games arrive, but we have plenty of tough tests before then.”
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