Le Bris vows Sunderland will ‘embrace the battle’ in fiery Tyne-Wear Derby at St James’ Park | OneFootball

Regis le Bris has said Sunderland will embrace the battle of this weekend's Tyne-Wear Derby against Newcastle.

Sunderland make the short trip to St James' Park to take on Newcastle in thePremier League on Sunday lunchtime. The two teams are separated by only two points in the Premier League table ahead of the clash at St James' Park.

Sunderland won the reverse fixture in December and have a strong recent record in derby games. The Black Cats are unbeaten in league Tyne-Wear Derbies since 2011, a run of 10 games.

Ahead of the latest meeting, Le Bris has said his Sunderland squad are well aware of the game's importance.

"We know in this region that the derby means a lot. We like it, and embrace the challenge," he said at hispre-match press conference.

"We played the first game at home with a young squad with no experience in the Premier League except Bertrand [Traore] and Granit [Xhaka]. We played the game with intensity, togetherness and proactivity. It was tight but we won this game, and we want to do it again.

"We know the intensity of the game. The players are excited for the occasion. We will battle together."

With local bragging rights and Premier League position at stake, Le Bris said his side must find the right balance between emotion and control.

"It’s emotion and control,” he said.

"If there is too emotion, it can control you mind. The unpredictability is so high, you have to manage your emotions. We want to be intense but with control.

“In the play-offs last season, it was important to stay connected with the game. We have the foundations, the game model. But you have to manage the expectation.

“You have to have the margin in your brain to be ready. If you overload your brain, it will be much harder to manage.”