Newcastle and Sunderland barely recognisable XIs from their last Tyne-Wear derby
Newcastle take on bitter rivals Sunderland in the FA Cup on Saturday... and a lot has changed since their most recent meeting.
They last met as Premier League clubs in March 2016. Newcastle were relegated to the Championship at the end of that season, only to be promoted a year later and taken over by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund to become the richest club on the planet.
As Newcastle lifted the Championship title in May 2017, Sunderland returned to England's second tier after finishing bottom of the Premier League. They then suffered a second successive relegation and stayed in League One until winning the play-offs in May 2022.
Sunderland are now chasing promotion back to the Premier League, as they sit sixth in the Championship. Yet their immediate focus is securing yet another famous win against the Magpies at the Stadium of Light to reach the fourth round of the FA Cup.
Sunderland have a superb record against Newcastle, having not lost any of their last nine meetings - a run stretching back to August 2011. Yet the most recent Tyne-Wear derby ended in a 1-1 draw at St James' Park nearly eight years ago... much to Newcastle's relief.
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Jermain Defoe, who no longer plays professionally, opened the scoring for Sunderland to leave their fans dreaming of a seventh consecutive victory against their Newcastle. Yet Aleksandar Mitrovic, now of Saudi giants Al-Hilal, scored a late equaliser for the hosts.
Aleksandar Mitrovic, DeAndre Yedlin and Jan Kirchhoff all featured in their last meeting (Getty Images)Who do you think will win Saturday's FA Cup tie? Let us know in the comments below!
Of the 11 players who started for Newcastle that day, only one is still at St James' Park: Jamaal Lascelles. The current Toon skipper starred alongside Chancel Mbemba, who is now at Marseille, and the now-retired Daryl Janmaat in their defence.
The other member of that back four was Jack Colback, who completed a controversial move from Sunderland to Newcastle on a free transfer in June 2014. The current Queens Park Rangers star had his reasons as a boyhood Magpies fan. Rob Elliot, who is now the caretaker boss of non-league side Gateshead, was in net for Rafa Benitez's side.
The rest of Newcastle's team that day are all still playing professionally. Moussa Sissoko is now at Nantes after spells with Tottenham and Watford, while Jonjo Shelvey is completing a loan spell at Turkish side Caykur Rizespor from Nottingham Forest.
Rafa Benitez's Newcastle hosted Sam Allardyce's Sunderland in the most recent Tyne-Wear derby (Getty Images)Andros Townsend only played 13 games for Newcastle during his six-month spell with the club, but one of those appearances came against Sunderland. The former Crystal Palace and Everton winger is now at Luton, having overcome a serious knee injury.
Georginio Wijnaldum, who is now part of Steven Gerrard's squad at Al-Ettifiaq, was the final member of Newcastle's midfield. He went on to have a successful spell with Liverpool before moves to Paris Saint-Germain and Roma after leaving St James' Park in June 2016. Mitrovic's strike partner was Ayoze Perez, who is now at Real Betis after winning the FA Cup with Leicester.
As for Sunderland, Defoe was joined in a front three by Fabio Borini and Wahbi Khazri, who are now at Sampdoria and Montpellier respectively. Sam Allardyce's goalkeeper that day was former Arsenal stopper Vito Mannone, who is currently part of Lille's squad.
Jack Colback crossed the Sunderland-Newcastle divide to join his boyhood club (Getty Images)Allardyce played a back four in front of Mannone, which included former Spurs favourite Younes Kaboul and Ivory Coast international Lamine Kone. Kaboul retired in 2018 after a spell with Watford, while Kone is without a club after leaving French minnows Le Mans.
At right-back was DeAndre Yedlin, who joined Newcastle at the end of that season and spent five years there. He now plays alongside Lionel Messi at Inter Miami! Patrick van Aanholt, who's currently sitting at the top of the Eredivisie with PSV, was at left-back.
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In terms of Sunderland's midfield, Jan Kirchhoff hasn't played professionally since leaving German minnows Magdeburg in 2019, while Jack Rodwell is now at Sydney FC after his contract was terminated in 2018, nine months after his final game for the club.
Mitrovic scored a last-minute equaliser in the 1-1 draw (Getty Images)Last but not least is Yann M'Vila, the midfielder who is now a 33-year-old free agent after leaving Olympiacos last summer. M'Vila recently said there's no chance he'll play second-tier football... unless a club close to his heart comes calling.
"I spoke with a lot of Ligue 1 clubs, but I didn’t get the little thing," M’Vila told French outlet Le Progres in December. "Given my qualities and my leadership, I think I can help a lot of teams. I believe in myself. I don’t need the money. I want to play.
"With all the respect I have for Ligue 2, I don’t see myself playing in this championship. There is only one club for which I would have agreed to return to the lower division for, it is Sunderland, to help them return to the Premier League. I had an extraordinary year there."
M'Vila certainly won't be involved in Saturday's cup tie, but it still promises to be a cracking game. Sunderland will be keen to inflict more misery on Newcastle, while the latter will be desperate to finally end their long wait for a derby win. Anyone for a replay?
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