Newcastle skipper Alan Shearer will be fit to lead his side into derby battle against Sunderland despite having four stitches put in a head wound in midweek. The 32-year-old picked up the wound in a clash with Dynamo Kiev defender Andrii Husin's boot on Wednesday night, but played on until 11 minutes from time.

Only Clarence Acuna (thigh) and Carl Cort (hamstring) remain on the injured list.

Defender Nikos Dabizas is hoping for another taste of derby day joy after making himself the toast of Tyneside from inside the lion's den. It was the 29-year-old Greek international who wrote himself into Geordie folklore on February 24 when he scored the only goal at Sunderland to hand his side a first ever win at the Stadium of Light, and how he enjoyed it.

Seven months on, the two sides meet at St James' Park with only one place and a single point separating them deep inside the drop zone, making the outcome of the game, if possible, even more crucial.

The memories of a disappointing result in the Ukraine will be wiped away if Newcastle can get the better of their local rivals to claim a first home win over them since their return to the top flight, and Dabizas knows from experience just how good that could feel.

"It was one of the biggest moments, maybe my biggest moment, because when you score the winning goal against Sunderland, it's so important," he said.

"It was a very good experience for me last time, and obviously I'm looking forward to having the same feelings again. I don't have to score the winning goal. I think I will settle for three points - it doesn't matter if Shay Given scores. It wouldn't have mattered if we'd won in Kiev and we'd won against Chelsea, we would still have had the same hunger for success and the same hunger to win this game because it's so important. We all feel that, every single person that's around the club and behind the club feels the same way. We have to satisfy ourselves and the fans by winning this game. It's a big game. There's only one way, and that's three points. We are on that course now, we can't go left or right or back. There's only one way to go, and that's three points."

Meanwhile, Sunderland boss Peter Reid will walk into St James' Park with no fears despite the burden on his shoulders.

The under-fire manager makes the short trip to Newcastle knowing that a second derby defeat of the season would heap more pressure on him and leave his side floundering at the foot of the Premiership table. But he insists that he is looking forward to a fixture which effectively brought an end to the tenure of then opposite number Ruud Gullit on Tyneside three seasons ago.

"I've seen a couple of things in newspapers that if we get beat, it could be curtains for me," he said.

"Now that's something I can't really comment on but, believe it or not, I'm not one of those who's going to sack myself. It's a bit difficult for me to comment on that, but I know the importance of the game because it's one for the supporters. I've got a good bunch of lads. I've seen some of the stuff in newspapers about them accepting responsibility, which is fine, but ultimately I'm not daft, the manager carries the can. I get manager of the year and manager of the month and plaudits and so forth when it's going well, so I've got to expect a bit of stick when it hasn't been going well because, ultimately, it's my responsibility. The players have been terrific in training, but we've got to go out and do it on the pitch now, and that's what I expect of the players. It's just a big, massive game. When we've got results there, it's given us a right impetus and confidence, and we've gone on great runs. Now that's what I'm looking for from Sunderland's point of view."

Julio Arca and Thomas Myhre are added to the Sunderland squad after long-term injuries, but Kevin Phillips, Emerson Thome and Jody Craddock remain on the casualty list.

Reid had packed his midfield in away games this season, and that could mean Gavin McCann returning to the starting line-up alongside Claudio Reyna and Jason McAteer and either Tore Andre Flo or Marcus Stewart playing a lone striking role.

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