Former England and Durham cricketing legend Steve Harmison believes the Wear-Tyne derby will be closer than people think ahead of the eagerly anticipated Emirates FA Cup third round clash.
Speaking to the Wise Men Say Podcast , Harmison believes both sets of supporters have missed the derby after seven years since the last meeting. The Black Cats head into the game having not lost to their bitter rivals in the last nine fixtures.
However, since the last meeting between the two sides, both clubs have been on their own, very different trajectories. Newcastle were a Champions League outfit as recent as December, while Sunderland have had to rebuild the club after relegation into League One.
The Black Cats come into the game in a better run of form, but they'll be under no illusions how tough the tie will be, despite the visitors poor run of form and injury woes.
"Injuries have taken their toll, not just on a professional sports point of view," Harmison told Wise Men Say. "I think it has from preparation as well. They're not training because they're playing games.
"And the one person who has not got the violin out, because if you look at someone like Antonio Conte or Jose Mourinho, when they were at teams at Tottenham and one or two other places when things weren't going so well, they complain and moan about everything. So fair play to Eddie Howe.
"He hasn't moaned about the injuries up until probably the last week. And I think he's held them together as well as he possibly could. Also, when you keep going and going and going and you're not training and you're not preparing, you go potentially a little bit stale. Unfortunately, that's what probably has happened with Newcastle.
"The three big games they needed to pick up points in. Obviously the Luton game was massive, the Forest game was huge with the Liverpool and then the City game sandwiched between the Sunderland game. That, for me, was always going to be the ones they needed to win. And that would have relieved the pressure going into this week.
"And this week it's great. I think it's fantastic. It's something that Newcastle fans have been desperate for. I think if both fans are really honest with each other, when Newcastle were in the Championship or Sunderland were in the Premier League or vice versa, they missed each other.
"This is a game that everybody wants twice a season. And, I think this is going to be a great week, but Newcastle desperately need to win. And if there is a good time to play Newcastle, from a Sunderland point of view, it probably is this weekend."
"The first ten minutes is huge for Sunderland," he said. "Can they withstand the pressure that Newcastle are going to hit them at? But then the emotion of the last ten minutes and where you are as a team physically is demanding mentally. And that's when mistakes come.
"How many times you see Man City win with five minutes? Ten minutes to go. Man United used to do it for years. Liverpool do it now. And I think that for me is where Newcastle probably have the edge on the emotion side of it. And then it comes down to individual talent and Newcastle can be exploited in their box.
"Last year you would have said no chance. No chance because they don't concede goals. With Isak, Gordon, Almiron, you're thinking there's quality there. Where Newcastle are going to create a hell of a lot of chances. It's up to them to finish them. Where last year you would have said Sunderland, no chance.
"So both boxes are huge. I'm talking in cliches, but I think from the game point of view, Sunderland are still nil-nil, after ten minutes, they can grow into the game. I think Newcastle will come hard.
"They'll come fast, especially with the atmosphere building and it'll go bang from the start. Comes down the last ten minutes and whether Sunderland are physically and mentally able to hang on if they are in the game still, I have a feeling Newcastle, that's where Newcastle could exploit.
"I don't think six and a half thousand Geordies will let Newcastle sit back. I think they'll be at it straight away. So I think it'd be a great contest. I don't see it being Newcastle in the Premier League, Newcastle being the Champions League, Newcastle winning five or six nil.
"I don't see that derby. How many times you see a derby cancel each other out for large portions of the game? And if they do that, then I think it comes on the quality. And what you mentioned before, that Bruno quality, that Isak quality and that Gordon quality especially, that might be the difference from a Premier League side.
"I think it's going to be a great occasion. I think the game will be closer than what people think it's going to be."
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