Sunderland v Newcastle United: TV broadcast details, manager quotes and team news

The long wait for a meeting of Newcastle United and Sunderland will finally come to an end on Saturday lunchtime when the Magpies travel to the Stadium of Light for an FA Cup third round tie.

The buzz surrounding the tie started from the moment ball number 27 was pulled out of the famous velvet bag to ensure the first FA Cup meeting between the two sides since 1956 will take place this weekend.

After both Newcastle and Sunderland suffered relegations from the Premier League over the last decade, Saturday’s tie on Wearside will be the first meeting of the two sides since an Aleksandar Mitrovic equaliser earned the Magpies a 1-1 draw at St James Park in March 2016.

The tie has been selected for live television broadcast - so here is everything you need to know ahead of the most eagerly anticipated FA Cup tie for many a year.

What time is kick-off in the FA Cup tie between Sunderland and Newcastle United?

After being selected for live television broadcast, the kick-off for the FA Cup third round tie at the Stadium of Light has been set for 12.45pm on Saturday, January 6th.

What has Eddie Howe said ahead of Sunderland v Newcastle United?

"When the draw was made, we made reference to the draw and I gave a couple of the Geordies a chance to speak about the fixture, just to set the scene. The players know everything they need to know about the fixture. Sometimes you can overkill that so it's then been about how we're going to play and how we're going to execute our plan.”

What has Michael Beale said ahead of Sunderland v Newcastle United?

"Derbies are hugely important to the game, certainly the domestic game. When we are talking about the (European) Super League and things like that, the fear that we have as followers of the sport is that we're washing down the derbies.  These derby games, and this draw in particular, has got to everyone's imagination, that's why the focus should only be on the two football teams, the fans on the day and all the positive things.”

What is the latest team news ahead of Sunderland v Newcastle United?

Newcastle's injury crisis is showing some signs of relenting but Eddie Howe will still travel to the Stadium of Light without a number of key players. Long-term injury victims Nick Pope and Matt Targett both remain on the sidelines and the likes of Harvey Barnes, Elliot Anderson, Callum Wilson, Jacob Murphy and Joe Willock are not expected to return until later this month. Kieran Trippier is a doubt and will be handed a late fitness test before a final decision is made on his involvement.

Sunderland have a number of doubts as they await news on Hemir, Dennis Cirkin, Bradley Dack, Jay Matete and Patrick Roberts. Niall Huggins, Elliot Embleton and Corry Evans will all miss out.

Where can I watch Sunderland v Newcastle United?

With this year’s FA Cup third round fixtures spread over the course of five days, there are a total of nine ties that have been selected for live television coverage across BBC, ITV and Welsh channel S4C.

Unsurprisingly, the Wear-Tyne derby between Sunderland and Newcastle was listed among those selected for live broadcast.  The entire game will be shown on ITV with coverage getting underway at midday on ITV1, UTV, STV and online.  There will also be an FA Cup Match of the Day on BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 10.30pm on Saturday night.  There will also be live radio coverage provided by BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio Newcastle.