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Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer | Getty Images
Newcastle United legend Alan Shearer has given his thoughts ahead of a mammoth clash with Sunderland.
Alan Shearer has backed a Newcastle United victory in the Tyne-Wear derby this weekend.
In a final pre-match battle cry, the Toon icon urged Eddie Howe’s men to “play the match, not the occasion” at St James’ Park. Newcastle are winless in 10 games against Sunderland at Premier League level.
The Magpies claimed the bragging rights in the FA Cup two years ago but the top-flight form guide makes for grim reading. In December, Nick Woltemade’s own goal proved the difference as the Black Cats outfought Newcastle on Wearside.
Alan Shearer gives Newcastle United prediction
Unsurprisingly, Newcastle legend Shearer is predicting a home victory. However, he is fearful the game could “spill over” as the Magpies aim to exact derby-day revenge on their bitter rivals.
“The bragging rights are massively on the line,” he told Metro. “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. 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. They’re great games. The atmosphere is amazing but you have to play the match, not the occasion.”
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Eddie Howe on Sunderland challenge
At his pre-match press conference, Howe insisted his players are firmly aware of the pressure riding on the game. He said: "Sunderland have had a very good season, I know from personal experience the jump from Championship to Premier League is big.
“I think they've handled that really well. I think we need to use the experience from the first game, all the emotion we felt which was really painful, we need to use that too. The players will be in no doubt of the size of the game and I think reinforced by what happened earlier in the season. For any new player that wasn't fully aware of how big the game is, they will now certainly be aware."
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