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.”
sports@thenational.ae
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THE BIO:
Sabri Razouk, 74
Athlete and fitness trainer
Married, father of six
Favourite exercise: Bench press
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126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
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Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
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HIV on the rise in the region
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New HIV infections have also risen by 29 per cent in western Europe and Asia, and by 7 per cent in Latin America, but declined elsewhere.
Egypt has shown the highest increase in recorded cases of HIV since 2010, up by 196 per cent.
Access to HIV testing, treatment and care in the region is well below the global average.
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Business Insights
- Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
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The specs
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