Newcastle’s 2-2 draw against Leverkusen in the Champions League during the week will have disappointed Eddie Howe, as Newcastle conceded yet another late goal to deny them three points - after suffering the same fate against Tottenham last weekend.

The Magpies have been unable to keep a clean sheet across their last seven matches in all competitions, with this trait lending itself to a higher goal count. Newcastle have seen 2+ goals in each of their last 17 matches across all competitions, with their last game that didn't feature at least two goals being a 0-0 draw against Bournemouth back in September.

Sunderland’s best attacking performances have been at home this season with 14 of their 18 goals in the Premier League coming at home (77%), seeing 2.85 goals per game in their matches at the Stadium of Light.

Sandro Tonali committed three fouls and made three tackles in Newcastle’s 2-2 draw with Leverkusen in the Champions League during the week, and is set for another physical battle here against Newcastle’s local rivals.

Tonali has committed nine fouls across his 15 Premier League appearances this term (0.80 per 90), with the Italian committing a foul in three of his last five Premier League appearances, and will be up against a workmanlike midfield duo of Grant Xhaka and Noah Sadiki for the Black Cats.

Sunderland’s midfield duo combine to win 2.44 fouls per 90 in the Premier League this term, so we can expect them to cause Tonali problems in the midfield battle. Tonali usually sits the deepest of the Newcastle midfield three; this is the position he took up during the week in a game that saw him commit three fouls.

It’s always worth looking at a striker that will sit at the top of a low block to commit or win fouls. This is due to how isolated the forward becomes in the system, with many passing maps showing Isidor well ahead of the defensive unit - acting as an outlet for Sunderland.

This role is a pretty thankless task as the striker has to chase down lost causes, as well as being constantly outnumbered by the opposition defenders. This gives Isidor a very tough assignment here, but offers promise when looking to back him to commit at least one foul in the derby.

Isidor has committed 10 fouls across his 11 starts in the Premier League this term (1.01 per 90), with at least one foul committed in three of his last five Premier League starts. Isidor committed two fouls in Sunderland’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal at the Stadium of Light a few weeks ago, and also committed three fouls against Chelsea when Sunderland won 2-1 at Stamford Bridge.

Robin Roefs has been the second busiest keeper in the Premier League this season, with only Martin Dubravka (58) having to make more saves than the Sunderland keeper (53 - 3.53 per 90).

Roefs has been forced into making 3+ saves in four of his last five matches across all competitions, with all of these instances requiring him to make four or more stops. He’s maintained an excellent save percentage of 75.7% which is the second highest in the division behind Emi Martinez (79.1%). 

Roefs can continue to be an important asset for Sunderland here with his freakish shot stopping ability. Newcastle have drawn 3+ saves in nine of their 15 Premier League matches this season, including each of their last four games in the top flight.

Guimaraes wears his heart on his sleeve, and I think that passion could land him in a bit of trouble here against Newcastle’s fiercest rivals. 

Guimaraes is probably Newcastle's most important player, measured by the impact his absence has on the side. It doesn't take much for Guimaraes to grow frustrated with the midfielder committing 24 fouls across his 14 Premier League appearances this season (1.79 per 90).

This record has translated into three yellow cards for Guimaraes in the Premier League this term, with his most recent caution coming against West Ham back at the start of November - so Guimaraes is almost due a card when looking at his foul numbers this term, and this is the perfect opportunity for that aggression to leak out in the form of a booking.

No Newcastle player has picked up more bookings than Guimaraes in the Premier League this season, with the Brazilian picking up seven cautions in the top flight last campaign.

I think it is safe to assume that Granit Xhaka is likely to be one of the main protagonists in what promises to be a fiery midfield battle at the Stadium of Light on Sunday afternoon. The Sunderland midfielder is well known for playing with an aggressive streak that often draws unwanted attention from match officials.

While Xhaka has averaged 1.02 fouls per game in this season’s Premier League, I'm prepared to look beyond that here given that tempers and tensions are expected to be strained during this showdown. What’s more, the Switzerland international has already picked up 4 yellow cards in this season’s Premier League, 3 of which were shown at the Stadium of Light.

On top of all that, Xhaka’s likely direct opponent, Bruno Guimaraes, is one of Newcastle and the Premier League’s leading players in terms of fouls drawn this season, earning an average of 2.46 fouls per game.

Gordon has scored in his last three games. He also started midweek against Leverkusen, finishing with two shots and one on target. Looking at his Newcastle record when playing 50+ minutes, he has registered a shot on target in six of his last seven matches.

His main issue recently has been limited game time, but after a run of strong performances, he should be seeing more minutes.

But when considering his recent substitutions, he has typically been replaced by the likes of Barnes and Woltemade, both attacking players, with Barnes averaging 1.04 shots on target per 90.