What Ipswich Town's Dan Neil and Leif Davis are doing ahead of Newcastle United v Sunderland | OneFootball

Ipswich Town duo Dan Neil and Leif Davis will be on opposite sides of the North East divide when Newcastle United take on Sunderland this weekend.

Ipswich Town are currently in automatic promotion contention in the Championship, but two members of their squad may have one eye on another game this weekend as Newcastle United take on Sunderland.

The Tractor Boys have struggled to live up to their billing as title favourites this season, but as the campaign enters the final stretch, Kieran McKenna's men are in a strong position to secure a top two finish.

It took Town until the closing stages to find the breakthrough against already-relegated Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday, but Ivan Azon's strike and Jack Clarke's penalty eventually secured a 2-0 victory at Hillsborough.

With second-placed Middlesbrough conceding a 96th-minute equaliser against Bristol City and Millwall suffering a shock defeat to Blackburn Rovers, Ipswich moved up to third in the table, and they are now just two points behind the Teesside outfit with a game in hand.

The Tractor Boys are starting preparations for their huge clash against Millwall at Portman Road on Saturday, but the upcoming Wear-Tyne derby may also be occupying the minds of some of the squad, particularly midfielder Dan Neil and defender Leif Davis.

Dan Neil drops Leif Davis, Ipswich Town reveal ahead of Newcastle United v Sunderland

Neil's affection for Sunderland is no secret, with the 24-year-old having come through his boyhood club's academy to help them to promotion to the Premier League before joining Ipswich on loan in January after falling out of favour at the Stadium of Light.

However, it is perhaps less widely known that Neil's Tractor Boys team-mate Davis is a big Newcastle United fan, meaning the pair will be on opposite sides of the North East divide when the rivals face each other at St James' Park on Sunday.

Neil revealed that the pair regularly enjoy banter about their respective allegiances, but despite that, he insisted that he has formed a strong bond with Davis since arriving at Portman Road.

"Every now and again, it’s not every single day I'm battering him for being a Geordie or anything," Neil told TWTD.

"I knew of Leif, but I didn’t know him personally.

"He’s probably 20 minutes to half an hour away from me in the north-east. He was at Morecambe and Leeds, so he was never around the north-east. I played against him in the 21's for Leeds and I’ve played against him a lot here and I knew he was from up north.

"As soon as I came in, he was one of the first to welcome me in, show me round, introduce me to the lads and get me into that core group. He’s been brilliant with me so far."

Leif Davis will be hoping for Ipswich Town bragging rights as Newcastle United plot Sunderland revenge

Sunderland got the better of Newcastle in the first Premier League meeting between the North East pair for over eight years in December as the Black Cats recorded a 1-0 victory at the Stadium of Light, and Neil was an unused substitute for the game.

However, Regis Le Bris' side have been in inconsistent form in the subsequent months, winning just three of their 14 league games since their derby day success, while Eddie Howe's men have slowly improved after a mixed start to the season.

Given the contrasting fortunes of the two clubs of late, Davis will be optimistic that Newcastle can come out on top at St James' Park on Sunday, which would earn him the bragging rights over Neil in the Ipswich dressing room.