Sunderland vs Newcastle: Michael Beale says derbies 'hugely important'
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Sunderland and Newcastle last met in 2016, with Aleksandar Mitrovic and Jermain Defoe scoring in a 1-1 draw
Sunderland head coach Michael Beale says derbies are "hugely important" to English football and believes his team "can hurt" Newcastle in Saturday's FA Cup third-round tie.
The Black Cats will host the Magpies this weekend for the first Tyne-Wear derby since 2016.
Sunderland are on a nine-match unbeaten run against Newcastle, winning six, and Beale is keen to keep that going.
"When it's derby day you want to win," he said.
Former Rangers and QPR boss Beale told BBC Radio Newcastle: "Derbies are hugely important to the game, certainly the domestic game. When we are talking about the [European] Super League and things like that, the fear that we have as followers of the sport is that we're washing down the derbies.
"These derby games, and this draw in particular, has got to everyone's imagination, that's why the focus should only be on the two football teams, the fans on the day and all the positive things."
While Sunderland boast a strong record against their rivals in reasonably recent times, Newcastle's resurgence of late - which saw them play in the Champions League this season - makes them favourites.
However, with the fixture taking place at the Stadium of Light, where Sunderland have won their past three games against Newcastle, Beale knows the role the crowd will play.
He said: "You prepare all the time to play against elite teams; we are playing against a Premier League team as a Championship team, so we need to bring the best version of ourselves.
"It's important that we feel the importance of the fans and the strength, the backing and the warmth of the fans. But, then we [need to] actually perform and play the game that is in front of us.
"It's a good opportunity for some of my young players that want to go and play in the Premier League, to show they are more than worthy of that."
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Saturday's meeting will be the first between the two sides in English football's premier cup competition since 1955-56. Not that such a form guide matters, but Sunderland have come out on top in the past two ties.
With the competition holding so much importance to the teams involved and fans alike, matches like this bring much excitement.
"It's really important for the FA Cup," said Beale. "It's the best cup competition in the world - people talk about it around the world. It's important that these types of draws come up.
"We all love the cup upsets, when the lower-league team beats the big teams, but there is nothing bigger than a rivalry.
"For it to be the first game in so many years, it's even better, it's perfect for the start of the FA Cup third round."
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