Sunderland's Dan Ballard (left) and Newcastle United's Anthony Gordon clash in the last derby (Image: PA)

It's a tale of two cities whose bitter rivalry can be traced all the way back to the English Civil War. Now hostilities are about to break out again between Newcastle and Sunderland on the modern day battlefield with the return of the Premier League derby for the first time in nine years.

Sunderland's demotion into the Championship and beyond into the wilderness of League One has meant a break in hostilities bar a fleeting FA Cup tie of unequal proportions.

As we wait with eager anticipation for one of football's great confrontations United must brace themselves to challenge and overcome a horrendous recent record. The Magpies have failed to win a Tyne-Wear Premier League derby in

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