Sports
Eddie Howe gives 2-word response to question about Sunderland’s chances vs Newcastle
Eddie Howe says there is “no chance” Newcastle will accept a draw as he plots a first Premier League derby victory over Sunderland in ten attempts.
Newcastle prepare for Tyne-Wear derby
The sides meet in the top flight for the first time since March 2016 on Sunday, when the Magpies will make the short trip to the Stadium of Light looking to end a wait for a win in the fixture which dates back to August 2011.
Head coach Howe and many of his players had a taste of what to expect in January last year when they went to Wearside and emerged with a 3-0 FA Cup third round success over the then Sky Bet Championship Black Cats, and he is conscious of the need for balance in their approach.
He said: “If you don’t get the arousal levels right, if you hype the players up too much, then you can go out and not perform because you’re over-thinking things, you’re not playing the game, you’re playing the atmosphere.
“You need cool heads, but you also need to have the fire in there. If the fire’s not there in this type of game, then you’re not going to perform either. It’s a balancing act of trying to get the players in the right frame of mind.”
Newcastle will arrive on Wearside on the back of a four-game unbeaten run in all competitions to face a Sunderland side who have confounded those who predicted they would go the way of many promoted sides and struggle to keep their heads above water.
Despite last weekend’s 3-0 defeat at Manchester City, Regis Le Bris’ men sit in ninth place in the table on 23 points – one more than their neighbours – after 15 games, and it would take a major collapse for them to slip into trouble.
However, asked if he would take a point, Howe, whose side drew 2-2 at Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League on Wednesday evening, replied swiftly:
He continued: “We prepare every game to win. This will be no different.
“We’ve got to get the preparation right in a very short period of time. That’s been a challenge we’ve had all season, and I think we’re doing okay at this moment in time.
“We know we can improve, there’s areas to get better in and we’ve got minimal training time to get those tweaks adjusted. But by kick-off, I can assure everybody that we’ll be ready.”
Newcastle star could miss Sunderland game after new injury “issue” emerges
An ill-timed blow for the Magpies.
Sunday’s game will be the first clash between Howe and Le Bris – Michael Beale was in charge at Sunderland for the FA Cup tie – but the Newcastle boss has been impressed by what the Frenchman has achieved since taking the helm in July last year.
He said: “I don’t know him and it’s my first time going up against him, but I think they’ve done well this season. I’ve been impressed by how they’ve played.”
