Newcastle United boss Alan Pardew is excited ahead of their derby clash with Sunderland.

Pardew's men will run out buoyed by the manner of their midweek exit from the Europa League after pushing Benfica all the way in a bid to reach the semi-finals, and confident they have put the club back on the continental map.

The 51-year-old said: "Sometimes, the north-east gets a little bit left to one side. The Manchester clubs get a lot of attention and London clubs do, and it's nice that we have raised the profile of north-east football.

"For me, this fixture is important because I think it's great for the Premier League to have Newcastle and Sunderland in the division - and I hope we both are for next year.

"We are both fighting for that at the moment."