- Alan Shearer on Newcastle’s clash with Sunderland
- Magpies icon highlights importance of a win
- Eddie Howe under pressure
Alan Shearer has stressed the importance of Newcastle United beating Sunderland in today’s Tyne-Wear derby. The two arch-rivals meet at St James’ Park, and the Magpies will be licking their wounds.
A disastrous 7-2 defeat (8-3 on aggregate) to Barcelona sent Eddie Howe’s men packing from the UEFA Champions League midweek. They were put to the sword by a ruthless Catalan side at Camp Nou.
Newcastle will have revenge on their minds against Sunderland following defeat in the reverse fixture back in December. A 1-0 loss came after Nick Woltemade’s own goal and Howe will come under huge pressure if his side are beaten again today.
Alan Shearer Predicts Newcastle vs Sunderland
Shearer, who played in 13 Tyne-Wear derbies, gave his prediction for the game and he made clear it’s a must-win game for the Magpies. The club’s legendary former striker said in his Metro column:
“The bragging rights are massively on the line. It has to be a home win. Sunderland got the better of Newcastle in the reverse fixture. I always say you can get away with a little bit more in these games and you can, but something tells me that this one might spill over for the wrong reasons. I hope I’m not correct in saying that!”
There have been six red cards in meetings between the rivals but Newcastle have only had one player sent off. A feisty affair is anticipated at St James’ today.
Shearer added:
“Newcastle somehow have to get the three points. They can’t not take the three points for obvious reasons.
“The Champions League is gone. It was great to play against Barcelona, but for 45 minutes they sort of put Newcastle in their place. But then you get back to the Premier League, and you need a good game to bounce back in and there’s no better game than this. As I keep saying, it has to be three points. There’s no other way to put it.“
Howe’s side are still in contention to qualify for Europe and there’s even a chance they achieve Champions League qualification. With so much on the line, Shearer urged players to be focused on the game:
“They’re great games. The atmosphere is amazing, but you have to play the match, not the occasion. Prediction – Newcastle win”
Champions League Still Possible
Newcastle can put themselves right in the mix for a place in a European competition next season if they win. Howe’s side are 11th, four points behind seventh-placed Brentford.
UEFA have confirmed that the team finishing in seventh will be granted a place in Europe’s elite club competition. That’s if Liverpool wins the trophy and finishes fifth or sixth, and Aston Villa win the Europa League and finishes fifth or sixth.
Howe is perhaps feeling the heat more so than ever before during his time on Tyneside. His troops have endured a nosedive this season, crashing out of all cup competitions and floundering mid-table.
