The third round of the FA Cup has some eye-catching fixture but for those in the North of England, there is one which stands above the rest - The historic Tyne-Wear Derby. It is the first time Newcastle have met Sunderland since 2016, before their bitter demise. A lot has changed since then, but Eddie Howe hopes to lead his side to their first win against Sunderland in the last five matches. That said, here's the predicted Newcastle lineup vs Sunderland...
Predicted Newcastle lineup vs Sunderland
GK - Martin Dubravka: With Nick Pope out injured, Martin Dubravka is the best option for now. Of course, Eddie Howe hopes to bring in a goalkeeper throughout January but for the time being, the Slovak goalkeeper will be high in confidence given his penalty-save against Liverpool on New Years Day.
RB - Emil Krafth: It was nice to see Trippier get a rest to kick off the new year, although the scoreline wasn't great in his absence. I would expect to see Emil Krafth called up to the first-team as he was an unused sub against Liverpool and has proven himself in cup competitions this season.
CB - Jamaal Lascelles: The captain will be called upon in this big FA Cup fixture. He was a used sub, but only got a ten minute runout against Liverpool. Therefore, he will be fresh for this match.
CB - Sven Botman: Botman scored on New Years Day so he will be full of confidence heading into this match. He is a more sensible option than Fabian Schar, although I wouldn't be mad if that change was made.
LB - Tino Livramento: A case could be made for Lewis Hall, but I would go for Livramento if I were Howe since he would have more confidence. There's no denying he's an attacking full-back, which would add a nice contrast on the two flanks.
This predicted Newcastle lineup vs Sunderland is continued on the next slide...