This is the fixture that Sunderland fans and probably all Newcastle United fans put above all else.

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It is more important than the games against Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal as far as Sunderland fans are concerned and it gets under their skin like no other.

There will be Sunderland fans working at their jobs all this week whose minds and mouths will never be far away from thinking about this game.

There will be some who think that's overstatement on my part but the reality is, it is the absolute truth.

Both teams go into the match on the back of defeats but Newcastle's was far more crushing than Sunderland's.

And I think Sunderland have to look to exploit the frailties exposed by the 4-1 defeat the Mags suffered against Portsmouth last weekend and try to get at Sam Allardyce's men from the start.

It's always important to start well in any game but particularly in derbies when you are at home and, after Newcastle's last result, Sunderland should be boosted by the knowledge that Newcastle can be vulnerable at the back.

Sunderland have their problems, but Newcastle will be without Shay Given and Nicky Butt and that's got to be a help to the home team's cause.

People say form goes out of the window in a derby. I'm not so sure if that is true.

But it is a one-off game. It's a stand-alone match and Sunderland have to raise themselves for a very special effort in this game.

Usually, when we're all raking over the results of the season, we're looking for trends and patterns in results. But the derby game really is a one-off and has to be seen as separate from the rest.

One thing is for certain, though, and that's if you can get a victory out of it, it can be a launchpad for the rest of the season.