Sunderland v Newcastle Betting Tips [6 January 2024]
Football - FA Cup
6 January 2024 7:45
The match
One of English football’s biggest rivalries is renewed in the FA Cup third round as Championship side Sunderland host Premier League outfit Newcastle. This will be the first time these adversaries have faced off since 2016 when they were both competing in the English top flight. Sunderland were eliminated in the fourth round of this competition by Fulham last season after a replay at the Stadium of Light. Newcastle bowed at this stage in the 2022/23 FA Cup last season while Newcastle bowed out at this stage to League One side Sheffield Wednesday.
After a semi-final defeat in the promotion playoff last season, Sunderland are back in the hunt this time around. They’re currently holding onto sixth-place in the Championship with more than half the season already in the books. The Black Cats come into this cup fixture against their bitter rivals on a three match unbeaten run with two wins and a draw. Their most recent outing resulted in a 2-0 home victory over Preston. At home, Sunderland have recorded eight wins from 13 fixtures.
Newcastle are completely out of sorts at the moment as they’ve now dropped to ninth in the Premier League standings. The Magpies fell 4-2 to Liverpool away from home, giving up a shocking 7.11 expected goals on nine clear cut scoring chances. The defeat was their fourth in a row and seventh from the last eight overall as the board is apparently now seriously considering parting ways with manager Eddie Howe. A loss here could ultimately spell the end to the 46-year-old’s time in charge.
Key Statistics
- Newcastle have conceded 22 goals on the road in 10 away games compared to just seven when playing at St. James' Park.
- The hosts have conceded in nine of their 13 home matches this seeason.
- Sunderland are in a good scoring groove as they have now scored in seven of their last nine overall.
- Both teams have scored in three of the last for for Newcastle.
- The visitors have now scored in nine of their last 11 games.
The bet of our experts
There's a fascinating dynamic at play in this Tyne-Wear Derby. Newcastle come into down experiencing a horrible stretch of form while things are going much better for the lower division Sunderland. That makes it difficult to pick a winner here as a home underdog upset could very well be on the cards. However, we should see both teams get on the scoresheet here. Sunderland with the home crowd behind them will be fired up while there is simply too much attacking talent on the visiting team. Therefore, our Sunderland vs Newcastle prediction is for both teams to score.
