Match Day Thread Sunderland AFC v Saudi FC - Sunday 14th December 2025 - KO 14:00

Dunno about everyone else but I’m really serene at this stage about this one.

I know they a very good side with dangerous players but I just feel absolutely calm and ready for it.

 

'We fight for you' – talisman Granit Xhaka sends emotional message to fans ahead of derby



https://www.sunderlandecho.com/spor...afc/granit-xhaka-sunderland-newcastle-5436561

Granit Xhaka has sent a heartfelt message to Sunderland supporters on TikTok following the Premier League clash against Manchester City, praising the fanbase and promising more to come.The clip, posted to his official account on Tuesday, shows Sunderland fans in full voice with thousands of arms raised as they bounce and sing the Xhaka song in the stands. The video has already garnered significant online engagement, with over 5,700 likes at the time of writing.

Xhaka, who joined Sunderland in the summer as one of the club’s marquee signings, attached a message of appreciation to the supporters, writing: "To our incredible fans, your passion makes us stronger. We still have so much to achieve together. Every week, we feel your support, and we fight for you."

The Switzerland international has quickly become a key figure under Régis Le Bris and continues to build a strong rapport with the fanbase both on and off the pitch. Sunderland face Newcastle United on Sunday in what will be the first Wear–Tyne derby in years, and Xhaka’s message comes at a time when anticipation across Wearside is reaching fever pitch...

Régis Le Bris offers injury update

Régis Le Bris says Sunderland midfielder Habib Diarra is set to miss next weekend’s Wear-Tyne derby, with the head coach admitting the fixture against Newcastle United will likely come too soon for the 21-year-old. Diarra has been stepping up his recovery following groin surgery earlier this season and had been in a race to return in time for the derby. While progress has been positive, Le Bris believes the timing will work against him. The Frenchman did, however, offer encouragement elsewhere, revealing that Reinildo is expected to return after sitting out the 3-0 defeat to Manchester City with a groin issue. "For Rei, it could be okay but for Habib, it would be too short, I think," Le Bris said.

Sunderland will also have Granit Xhaka and Noah Sadiki available for the derby after both avoided a booking at the Etihad. Le Bris moved to withdraw the pair late on, protecting them for Sunday’s clash, with Romaine Mundle and Simon Adingra introduced instead.

Le Bris later explained his decision not to turn to Dan Neil was to keep attacking momentum, with Lutsharel Geertruida pushed into midfield. "Yes, because we tried to stay in the game, to provoke something," he said. "I think with offensive players on the side, it was more or less the idea. It didn't work, but we tried."

 

Many people were delighted when we were drawn against Newcastle in the FA Cup ...

... my heart absolutely sank and I went to the match out of a sense of duty, nothing else.

We were in a rotten mess, demoralised players, hated manager and coming up against a team easily capable of beating us.

This is completely different and even the fact we're in the PL has taken them by surprise. Nevertheless they still expected it to be another David and Goliath affair with an easy win where we're totally overpowered. Not so, despite their size and bravado they'll be nervous and know we have a few slingshots of our own ...

... there's no reason we can't topple them and bring them crashing down, bullseye!

 

Spot on marra. All the cup tie did was to emphasise the gap between us.We we'ren't in the same league.However,we are now, let's see how much we've narrowed that gap come Sunday!

 

Agreed.

Didn’t even pain me that one to be honest didn’t feel remotely like a derby.

Even their away end was **** as they prioritised certain kind of members there was just nothing ‘NE Derby’ about it at all.

Different beast this. We aren’t naive enough to think we are better than them man for man but we are realistic to think we are a match for them as a unit.

This one DOES count and come Sunday I’ll be up a height.

It will be crushing to lose it simply because we know we are capable of winning. We never had that last time.

 

This is a great barometer for us. We are a point ahead of them after 15 matches.
Have we reached a level where we can can compete with them as equals and crush their horrible arrogance?
That's the most important thing that comes out of Sunday.

 

How will they manage without cheap giveaway scarfs to twirl

We managed to compete with Liverpool, Villa, Chelsea and Arsenal ...

... Newcastle are no better than them.

 

And the bubble wrap

 

Well said that Smug, their self-entitled arrogance will hopefully be their own downfall.

Can't wait for this, like you my heart also sank, it was an awful day and the crap we had to endure during the build up boiled my piss, but I still went in the hope we could, and we all know that outcome!!

Fast forward a couple of years and we are now a different beast, the atmosphere, the build-up, the fans, the team are really up for this, and again on paper, they have a much more expensive team, and the pressure is all on them, they MUST WIN to appease their self-entitled 30,000 plastic fans, whereas us, anything from this game is a bonus in our consolidation season, you can't win every battle, but we can win the war HAWAY HAWAY HAWAY

 

After the corporate tickets, the friends & family, etc, they'll have around 1800 supporters there, all SC holders with maximum points ...

... some of them won't know the words to anything except 'United!' tbh

 

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/new...031142#ICID=Android_ChronicleNewsApp_AppShare

A bit metro travel info