Former Sunderland and Ipswich striker Marcus Stewart feels both his old clubs can put themselves in the Sky Bet Championship promotion picture this season.
The Mackems reached the play-offs last season, losing out to Luton, while Ipswich came up from Sky Bet League One.
Sunderland host Ipswich at the Stadium of Light for their Championship opener on Sunday, with the televised fixture set to support the Darby Rimmer MND Foundation.
A programme of activity is scheduled to raise awareness for motor neurone disease and help generate donations, including a pre-match talk-in with Stewart, whose own diagnosis came after 12 months of testing and was revealed in September last year.
Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray was Stewart’s captain when at Ipswich, while another former Town team-mate Mark Venus is assistant head coach.
Stewart played for Sunderland between 2002 and 2005, helping Mick McCarthy’s side win promotion to the Premier League in his final season.
It is a target which Stewart feels Mowbray’s men can also now have in their sights once again.
“Sunderland pushed on last year and got into the play-offs, probably unexpectedly with a young squad,” Stewart told the PA news agency.
“They have added a bit of experience with summer signings like Bradley Dack, so I expect them to be up there again.
“It is probably a different kind of pressure they have now, because that expectancy level has gone up a bit.
“The fans there are passionate, ruthless and brilliant all in one. If you are not pulling your weight, they will let you know about it – but on the flip side, if you are doing brilliant, then they are the best fans in the world.
“You have got to be able to handle the pressure up there, the good and bad times which every player gets during the season.
“But Tony is a calm man and will take everything as it comes. He will not get too excited and not get too down when results are going well or bad for them, which will happen during the season.
“It is just how to get through those spells (of bad results), which will happen, and then promotion is on the cards.”
Ipswich have also supported Stewart’s fundraising efforts, making donations from a new kit launch in July, which was the inspired by Suffolk club’s shirt in the 1999-2000 promotion campaign.
After winning the Championship play-off final at Wembley, Stewart’s 19 Premier League goals helped George Burley’s team finish fifth and secure qualification for the UEFA Cup.
Former Town frontman Stewart, 50, feels the Tractor Boys can use momentum from a fine League One campaign under Kieran McKenna to make an impact on their long-awaited return to the second tier.
“Ipswich are riding a crest of a wave at the moment, there is a feel-good factor about the place,” said Stewart.
“How they are doing things there from the top can only benefit the club and they have a good young manager who got promotion in his first full season.
“Like most clubs, you want to get off to that good start. It is all about being in touch and then the recruitment come January will be really important.”
MND is a degenerative condition which affects the brain and nervous system. It is a life-shortening disease and there is no cure.
Although it will progress, symptoms can be managed to achieve the best possible quality of life.
Currently head of player development at National League South club Yeovil, another of his former clubs, Stewart, supported by his wife Louise, hopes to continue to front charity campaigns while he is able.
In May, Bristol Rovers hosted a charity match between a South West Legends side and an All-Star XI, with the weekend’s events raising a grand total of just over £110,000.
Stewart’s family and friends will also be undertaking the #TEAMSTEWART254 Cycle Challenge in October, which will see fundraisers travel over 900km to seven of his former clubs.
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Stewart has lost grip in his left hand since being diagnosed and has a weak arm, but continues to hold a positive outlook.
“I am not a person who likes to be in the limelight to be honest, but I have embraced it,” said Stewart, who also had spells at both Bristol clubs as well as Huddersfield and Exeter, playing in every tier of the English professional game.
“With the start of a new season it is the start of a new campaign to raise awareness and a new opportunity for clubs to step up, like Sunderland and Ipswich have.”
:: The Stewart family are raising funds for the Darby Rimmer MND Foundation at justgiving.com/team/teamstewart254.
Donations can also be made by texting DRMND followed by the amount to 70085.
Arteta hails 'phenomenal' Arsenal drive to take Man City all the way
Mikel Arteta hailed the "phenomenal" drive shown by his Arsenal side to push Manchester City all the way in the Premier League title race.
The Gunners moved one point clear of City at the Premier League summit on Sunday with a 1-0 win against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
City have a chance to restore their advantage when they travel to Arsenal's fierce rivals Tottenham on Tuesday, before then hosting West Ham.
Regardless of what happens in midweek, Arsenal will go into their final game of the campaign at home to Everton with the title battle still alive.
Speaking to BBC Sport after his side's latest win, Arteta said: "It is a phenomenal thing they are doing."
However, Arteta was not entirely pleased with the manner of his side's slender victory, even if they were good value for the win overall.
"We weren't composed, clean enough, consistent enough and were unable to do the simple things right," he said. "That doesn't give you control.
"Some of the players have not been in this position; they don't know what is at stake and how you feel emotionally to have to win and win and win from December or January."
Arsenal's win was just their second in 17 Premier League trips to Old Trafford, most recently coming out on top in November 2020.
Lenadro Trossard scored what proved to be the winner with 20 minutes played, tapping in from close range after being set up by Kai Havertz.
"We needed a result today in a really difficult place," Arteta added. "Our history was not in favour of a result today.
"There was so much at stake and we're happy with the result. We started the game really well and were dominant.
"We scored the goal and I think the goal led to slightly bad things because we started to play too safe, too sideways, too backwards with not enough structure.
"We started to give the ball away in good areas and that is a danger against them. But we defended well and didn't concede too much."
Arsenal now find themselves cheering on Tottenham against City, knowing that anything other than a win for Pep Guardiola's men will leave their title fate in their own hands.
Asked if he will be watching that game, Arteta said: "We will be sat watching and it’s true we need the result in order to achieve [the title]. In football there are always possibilities."
Tuchel skips goodbye from fans after final Bayern home game
Departing Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel opted on Sunday to quietly slip into the changing rooms instead of joining his players to celebrate after the Bavarians beat Wolfsburg 2-0.
Tuchel will be leaving at the end of the season – a year earlier than his contract ends – following a disappointing campaign with no silverware.
The win came four days after Bayern's Champions League semi-final exit to Real Madrid confirmed their first season without a trophy in over a decade.
"These are the moments for the players," he said when asked why he did not join his squad who went in front of the Bayern ultras after their final home game of the season.
"I don't want to be in the spotlight there. That's for the team. I know that the cameras are there.
"I prefer to go in [to the changing rooms]. It is about the team. The fans are there for the team. They need to be celebrated."
There has been little to celebrate for Tuchel in his 14 months in charge, with Bayern having managed to win only the Bundesliga title last season after Borussia Dortmund slipped up on the final matchday.
He said he did not yet know what he would take away from his time at Bayern, who missed out on Bundesliga glory to Bayer Leverkusen this term.
"Last home game and what remains I don't really know," he said. "It will take some time to see what is left.
"It is a privilege to coach at this level. I came to win as many titles as possible. We did not succeed in that."
Juventus 1-1 Salernitana: Late Rabiot goal salvages home draw
Juventus snatched a 1-1 draw at home to relegated Salernitana courtesy of a late Adrien Rabiot goal that cancelled out a first-half header from Niccolo Pierozzi in Serie A on Sunday.
Juve are fourth on 67 points with two matches left, six points ahead of Atalanta, who have two games in hand.
Salernitana shocked the Allianz Stadium as unmarked Pierozzi headed home after 27 minutes following a corner.
But Juventus dominated the rest of the match and equalised in stoppage time when Rabiot slid the ball home at the back post after a corner was flicked on.
Bottom side Salernitana were doomed to the drop last month.
Juve play in the Italian Cup final against Atalanta on Wednesday in an effort to save a disappointing season and stop their winless streak at six matches in all competitions.
Data Debrief: Another stalemate for Juve
Juventus were grateful for a point come full-time, albeit it was a poor result in the grand scheme of things. Juve have now draw five successive matches in Serie A for the first time since between April and May 2009.
In fact, only Heidenheim of the Bundesliga (10) have drawn more matches than Juventus have (nine from 18 games) across Europe's top five leagues in 2024.
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