Newcastle United and Sunderland will contest their 157th Tyne-Wear derby in one of the standout fixtures of this weekend's FA Cup action.
It has been over seven years since the two teams last faced each other in the league during the 2015/16 season. The last meeting between the two teams was a closely fought 1-1 draw between Rafael Benitez's Newcastle and Sam Allardyce's Sunderland. Serbian forward Alexsandar Mitrovic was the hero for the Magpies and his late goal was enough to earn the team a point after a first half strike from former Sunderland's talismanic forward at the time Jermaine Defoe.
Since that game, which took place 2848 days ago, a lot has changed for both sets of supporters who have witnessed the extreme highs and lows of relegation, promotion and new ownership in what has been a rollercoaster journey of emotions. Here we take a look back at the Newcastle United starting line-up and substitutes which last played against Sunderland whilst also taking a look at where they are now.
1. GK: Rob Elliot
Rob Elliot signed for Newcastle in 2011, but was forced to be patient for his first team breakthrough as he acted as understudy to Tim Krul for several seasons. Elliot was handed his chance when Krul suffered a season-ending injury and performed admirably - winning the club’s Player of the Season despite relegation. The Republic of Ireland international went on to be the back up goalkeeper behind Karl Darlow and Martin Dubravka before leaving for Watford. A later spell at Gateshead followed and he has managed the National League side since Mike Williamson’s departure to MK Dons in October. (Getty Images)
2. RB: Daryl Janmaat
Netherlands international Daryl Janmaat impressed at times in his first season with his ability to go forward, but his performances waned in his second season. He left Newcastle to join Watford in a £7.5m deal after their relegation. He stayed with the Hornets for four seasons before suffering a second relegation and now works as the technical director of ADO Den Haag. (Getty Images)
3. CB: Chancel Mbemba
DR Congo international Chancel Mbemba arrived at Newcastle with promise after a string of impressive performances for Anderlecht. Unfortunately the young defender never really found his feet on Tyneside and his first team chances were limited after the club’s relegation. Mbemba moved to FC Porto in the summer of 2018 and after four steady seasons in Portugal now finds himself in Ligue 1 with Marseille. (Getty Images)
4. CB: Jamaal Lascelles
From the Championship to the Champions League… One of the few positives that came from the 2015/16 campaign was the emergence of club captain Jamaal Lascelles who rose from the fringes of the team to become a regular first team fixture under Rafael Benitez. Lascelles captained a Newcastle team that were unbeaten in their final seven games during the relegation season and went on to captain the club back into the Premier League. The 30-year-old is the longest serving captain in the top-flight at the time of writing and still acts as a useful backup defender for Eddie Howe’s team. (Getty Images)