Sunderland will face bitter rivals Newcastle United in mid-December and late March
Former Sunderland defender Micky Gray has delivered his verdict on next season’s returning Tyne-Wear Derby in the aftermath of the Premier League fixture list being revealed.
The Black Cats and their top flight rivals learnt the specifics of their 2025/26 campaign on Wednesday morning, with Regis Le Bris’ side set to get things underway with a home clash against West Ham.
For many supporters, however, the first fixtures that they will have been looking out for were the two meetings with Newcastle United, which are due to take place on December 13th at the Stadium of Light and March 21st at St. James’ Park.
What has Micky Gray said about Sunderland’s upcoming derby day meetings with Newcastle United?
And looking ahead to the new season, Gray has expressed his excitement at the return of the North East’s biggest clash, while also admitting that Sunderland will be heading into both contests as de facto underdogs.
Speaking on talkSPORT, he said: “If you’ve never been to those games, I’m sure you’ve seen them on TV… It’s fiery, it’s electric and it’s the game that all Sunderland supporters and Newcastle supporters [have looked for first] this morning.
“It’s all they’ll be talking about. December and March are going to be really important months for Sunderland and Newcastle. I think we’re going to be fighting at different ends of the table, there's no doubt about that. We’re not silly, we know exactly what’s been going on. But they’re incredible games to play in.
“The Stadium of Light is going to be absolutely electric. If I’m covering the game for talkSPORT at St James’ Park, I’m going in about four hours before kick-off! The supporters, you imagine the guys going to work today, it’s all they’re going to be talking about. I’m sure they’re going to be talking about Newcastle.”
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Sunderland's 2025/26 Premier League fixture list in full
16 – West Ham United (H)
23 – Burnley (A)
30 – Brentford (H)
13 – Crystal Palace (A)
20 – Aston Villa (H)
27 – Nottingham Forest (A)
4 – Manchester United (A)
18 – Wolverhampton Wanderers (H)
25 – Chelsea (A)
1 – Everton (H)
8 – Arsenal (H)
22 – Fulham (A)
29 – A.F.C. Bournemouth (H)
3 – Liverpool (A)
6 – Manchester City (A)
13 – Newcastle United (H)
20 – Brighton & Hove Albion (A)
27 – Leeds United (H)
30 – Manchester City (H)
3 – Tottenham Hotspur (A)
7 – Brentford (A)
17 – Crystal Palace (H)
24 – West Ham United (A)
31 – Burnley (H)
7 – Arsenal (A)
11 – Liverpool (H)
21 – Fulham (H)
28 – A.F.C. Bournemouth (A)
4 – Leeds United (A)
14 – Brighton & Hove Albion (H)
21 – Newcastle United (A)
11 – Tottenham Hotspur (H)
18 – Aston Villa (A)
25 – Nottingham Forest (H)
2 – Wolverhampton Wanderers (A)
9 – Manchester United (H)
17 – Everton (A)
24 – Chelsea (H)
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