Gus Poyet's start to life as Sunderland manager couldn't have gone much worse; witnessing his side crumble in a 4-0 defeat away at Swansea City last weekend. However, that would soon be forgiven and forgotten if the Uruguayan can turn things around and mastermind a win over the Black Cats' most fierce Premier League rivals, Newcastle United.
Sunderland vs. Newcastle United: Preview and TV schedule
It’s a baptism of fire for new Sunderland boss Gus Poyet, with last week’s hammering by Swansea followed up by a Tyne-Wear derby.
More from our team blogs: Sunderland blog Roker Report Newcastle United blog Coming Home Newcastle
Sadly, that's easier said than done. Sunderland are still sitting rock bottom of the table with just one solitary point from their opening eight matches, meaning they're already seven points adrift of safety. What's more, Newcastle have been reasonably good recently, beating Cardiff City before holding Liverpool to a 2-2 draw at St James' Park last weekend.
However, the Magpies will be without Fabricio Coloccini, Ryan Taylor and Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa for the short trip, while Jonás Gutiérrez, Massadio Haïdara and Steven Taylor will all also likely miss out. For Sunderland, only Wes Brown is an early injury doubt.
Sunderland injuries and suspensions
Out: None. In doubt: Wes Brown (match fitness).
Newcastle United injuries and suspensions
Out: Fabricio Coloccini (groin), Ryan Taylor (knee), Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa (suspended). In doubt: Jonás Gutiérrez (personal reasons), Massadio Haïdara (knee), Steven Taylor (hamstring).
Projected lineups
Sunderland: Keiren Westwood; Jack Colback, John O'Shea, Carlos Cuéllar, Ondřej Čelůstka; Emanuele Giaccherini, Craig Gardner, Lee Cattermole, Adam Johnson; Jozy Altidore, Steven Fletcher.
Newcastle United: Tim Krul; Davide Santon, Steven Taylor, Mike Williamson, Mathieu Debuchy; Yohan Cabaye, Cheick Tioté; Loïc Remy, Moussa Sissoko, Yoan Gouffran; Hatem Ben Arfa.
Match Date/Time: Sunday, 1:30 p.m. local, 9:30 a.m. ET
Venue: Stadium of Light, Sunderland, England
TV: NBC Sports Network, DirecTV, Mun2 (U.S.), TSN2, RDS 2 (Canada), Sky Sports 1/HD (U.K.).
Online: NBC Sports Live Extra (U.S.), Sky Go (U.K.).
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