Having played in some of football’s biggest rivalries, Michael Owen explains why the Tyne-Wear Derby carries a unique intensity, regardless of what the league table suggests.
It’s time for Matchday 31 in the Premier League this weekend, and the big game of the weekend is undoubtedly the Tyne and Wear Derby, Newcastle against Sunderland at St. James’ Park.
This is a huge match even though, if you look at the table, it might appear that there’s not much on this. Yes, Newcastle can probably squeeze into a European place, but Sunderland, after a great start to the season, have petered out somewhat and I think there’s probably a general feeling around the club that they can’t go down but probably can’t get into Europe either. As a result, it would be understandable if they sub-consciously look to coast to the end of the season.
However, this game is bigger than you would believe. As you probably know, I’ve played in a lot of derbies around the world. The Madrid derby and El Clásico, if you class that as a derby. I also played in the Tyne and Wear derby, and as I’ve spoken about before, I’ve also played in the Merseyside derby and the Manchester derby.
Having played in all the derbies above, I can tell you the noise at this particular game is absolutely incredible. There’s such a rivalry between these two teams. I played in one at St James’ Park, and was lucky enough to score a couple of goals and win, so it was a fantastic experience for me, but just leading up to the game and even in the dressing rooms, hearing the noise outside in the stadium was just unbelievable. I’ve never heard it come through the walls like I did on that day.
So a huge game, even though, as I said, there’s not a huge amount to play for in terms of league positions. Trust me, this match is ALL about bragging rights. Having said that, I do think Newcastle have probably got a little bit more to play for and with Sunderland just dropping away a little bit, I fancy Newcastle to take full advantage of playing at home and to take all three points.
So I’m going for a 3-1 home win to the Magpies in the Tyne and Wear Derby.
Michael Owen’s Matchday 31 Predictions:
Bournemouth 1-2 Manchester United
Brighton 1-1 Liverpool
Fulham 2-0 Burnley
Everton 0-0 Chelsea
Leeds United 2-2 Brentford
Newcastle United 3-1 Sunderland
Aston Villa 1-1 West Ham United
Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 Nottingham Forest
