North-east rivals Newcastle and Sunderland eager to arrest poor form

Heavy defeats against Arsenal and Tottenham dent confidence of formerly high-flying Newcastle

Goalkeeper Jak Alnwick, centre, of Newcastle United is consoled by Massadio Haidara after their English League Cup quarter-final loss against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane on December 17, 2014,Show more

It has been a rough past seven days for Newcastle United and their supporters.

Having been beaten 4-1 at Arsenal in the Premier League last Saturday, they were then trounced 4-0 by Tottenham Hotspur in the League Cup quarter-finals.

Manager Alan Pardew's side had lost only one of their previous 10 games in all competitions, including becoming the first side to beat Chelsea, and they host local rivals Sunderland on Sunday as they seek to rediscover that form.

Pardew is determined for Newcastle to bounce back against Sunderland, a side they have lost to at home in the past two seasons, with the scoreline 3-0 on both occasions.

“They [Sunderland] are very well organised and average two passes before they score, which tells you that they capitalise if you make a mistake,” Pardew said.

“If ever there was a template of why they won the games against us, it’s that. They punished us and we can’t afford to make those mistakes.”

Sunderland are winless in their past six games, but John O’Shea is confident they can continue their good run against Newcastle and triumph for the first time since November 3.

“Ultimately, it’s just down to ourselves, how we prepare,” he said. “Everything has gone well and whatever team the manager picks, now we have to do our business. We have to do the stuff on the pitch, it’s as simple as that.

“The players on the day who perform to their best, can execute, technically be sound, everything, all those things that go into it and want to win the game ultimately will come out on top.”

O’Shea said he and his teammates were expecting a strong reaction from Newcastle following their heavy losses in London.

“They were on a fantastic run of form as well, so we are under no illusions it’s going to be tough,” he said. “But we have been very solid and close to winning lots of matches as well.

“We just need that little bit of a killer instinct all round the pitch to make sure we come away with three points instead of a draw.”

Follow us on Twitter at @SprtNationalUAE