Granit Xhaka has revealed what he has been told about Newcastle United since signing for Sunderland.
Though the summer’s troubles, with several top targets going elsewhere and star striker Alexander Isak forcing his move to Liverpool, threatened to spoil the excitement, the 2025-26 season is a massive one for Newcastle United.
After finally ending their decades-long wait for a trophy with the Carabao Cup triumph last term, there is hope that Eddie Howe can bring more success to St. James’ Park much sooner.
A return to the Champions League is also thrilling, with Newcastle getting their first win with a 4-0 thrashing of Union SG last week.
However, most exciting of all has to be the fact that Sunderland are back in the Premier League once again.
Newcastle’s fierce rivals have been exiled from the top flight since 2016 and, though they did meet in the FA Cup in 2024, the Magpies will be desperate to get a league win over their rivals.
Granit Xhaka can’t wait for the Tyne-Wear derby after what he’s been told about the fixture.
- Tyne-Wear derby: Newcastle United record vs Sunderland ahead of the first Premier League encounters in a decade
Granit Xhaka is excited for his first Tyne-Wear derby
Sunderland scraped back into the Premier League after a dramatic late comeback against Sheffield United in the Play-off final.
However, the Black Cats are determined to stay up and spent heavily in the transfer window on a raft of new signings.
The statement addition was that of veteran midfielder Xhaka, who had been a key member of Bayer Leverkusen’s invincible Bundesliga-winning side just a year before.
The Swiss international, who scored against Isak and Anthony Elanga’s Sweden on Friday, was immediately made Sunderland captain and can’t wait to play against Newcastle.
When asked by Sky Sports who he was looking forward to playing on his return to English football the most out of former club Arsenal, Tottenham or the Toon, Xhaka said: “This one is not so complicated.
“Newcastle first, I know what it means for Sunderland, for the fans, for the football club to have this derby.
“I’ve had many, many derbies in this career, but I hear this will be the craziest of my career and I want to be there and to feel it and to feel it and enjoy the moment.”
Xhaka is infamous for his rough tackling and picking up yellow cards (three already this season), so seeing him battle with Joelinton and Bruno Guimaraes is bound to be a spectacle.
When do Newcastle United play Sunderland in the Premier League?
Newcastle have gone over 14 years since they last managed to defeat Sunderland in the Premier League, with Ryan Taylor scoring the only goal in a 1-0 win in August 2011.
Since then, it’s been nothing but misery, with Sunderland shamefully winning six derbies in a row during a run of nine unbeaten games against their fierce rivals.
Newcastle will be desperate to set the record straight in their two league meetings this season, though the fixture computer is forcing everyone to wait for the highly anticipated match.
The first Tyne-Wear derby won’t take place until the weekend of December 13, with the Stadium of Light hosting the first meeting.
The return fixture at St. James’ Park comes on the weekend of March 21, 2026.
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