As ninth-place Sunderland prepare to host 12th-place Newcastle United in the first Tyne-Wear Derby league fixture in nearly a decade, both sides will be trying to harness the hype in the right manner.

While Newcastle earned a 3-0 win in a third-round FA Cup match in January 2024, the sides haven't met in Premier League play since the 2015-16 campaign that ended with the Magpies' relegation.

Newcastle won the League Championship the following season to ensure a quick EPL return, only for the Black Cats to suffer the drop in 2016-17 and remain in the lower tiers until their promotion playoff triumph last spring.

Considered by many to be a relegation favorite, Sunderland (6-4-5, 23 points) instead have exceeded all expectations in their Premier League return.

And although they lost decisi

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