Tussle on Tyneside as champions visit Premier pretenders
IT'S derby day for some and D-Day for others in England this weekend as the Premiership table begins to take shape.
The East Midlands derby between Nottingham Forest and Derby County takes place at the City Ground, Nottingham, tomorrow, while Anfield stages the Merseyside derby between Liverpool and Everton on Sunday.
The most attractive match of the programme, however, is at St James's Park on Sunday, when it's D-Day for Newcastle United, last season's runners-up, against the defending league champions Manchester United.
The corresponding fixture last season, on March 4, ended in a 1-0 victory for the Old Trafford club, courtesy of a second-half strike from Frenchman Eric Cantona, and many observers felt that result was the turning point of the whole season.
Newcastle, having built up a 12-point lead in January, saw their title rivals gain a massive psychological advantage and the Manchester club went on to clinch the championship at Middlesbrough on the final day of the season after Newcastle had self-destructed.
Newcastle, having lost 2-0 at Old Trafford earlier in the season to goals from Andy Cole and Roy Keane, were clearly second best and must now overcome that traumatic ending to the season when the Red Devils visit Tyneside again. And then there's the small matter of this season's Charity Shield at Wembley, where Newcastle were a shambles in losing 4-0.
Both clubs were involved in European competition during the week - Newcastle losing 3-2 to Ferencvaros in Hungary in the UEFA Cup on Tuesday and United winning 2-0 against Fenerbahce in the Champions' League in Istanbul the following night - and will be glad of an extra day's rest before the match.
Newcastle '96-97 are a different proposition from Newcastle '95-96 after the GBP15 million addition of England captain Alan Shearer, who tormented Manchester United during his days with Blackburn Rovers. Newcastle fans will be banking on Shearer to carry them over this huge hurdle and take the club to its first championship since 1927 - but the defence will have to play its part, too.
Liverpool impressed the neutrals during last Saturday's televised match at Old Trafford but didn't impress Manchester United, who won 1-0 with a goal from David Beckham.
Liverpool know they need points, not sympathy, and won't find either of these easy to come by against Everton on Sunday.
The Forest-Derby clash will be special for Welsh international striker Dean Saunders, whom Derby sold to Liverpool for GBP2.9 million in 1991. Saunders is now at Forest, via Galatasaray in Turkey.
There are some important matches for teams at the wrong end of the Premiership, with Blackburn, still without a win, away to Sheffield Wednesday, Coventry at Arsenal and Southampton at home to Sunderland. Elsewhere, West Ham could do with three points at home to Leicester.
Arsenal will go top tomorrow if they beat (or even draw with) Coventry because current league leaders Newcastle, as well as Liverpool and Manchester United, don't play until Sunday.
The televised game on Saturday is Middlesbrough v Spurs from the Riverside Stadium, where Boro, bruised and battered from their fierce 2-2 derby draw at Sunderland last Monday, will be hoping for more goals from Fabrizio Ravanelli.
As for Sunderland, they'll be hoping to finish their match at Southampton with 11 men after having two sent off at Highbury on September 28 and one at home to Boro.
Leeds will be without Tony Yeboah (knee) and Lee Bowyer after an eye operation. Gareth Southgate is Villa's injury doubt.
