The strike means that no Metro services will be operating system-wide on Friday, December 20th and Saturday, December 21st.

Nexus is the public body which owns and manages Metro. Services Director Chris Carson said: "I'm sorry that Newcastle United fans are going to be so badly inconvenienced by the RMT strike.

"Anyone who is heading to the Crystal Palace match on Saturday will need to allow plenty of extra time to get into the city centre, and they will need seek other modes of transport as the Metro system will be off.

"The key message is to plan ahead so that you get there in plenty of time for kick off, and ensure you can get home after the game has ended.

"This RMT train crew strike is totally unjustified and it is going to bring misery to many thousands of passengers on two very busy days in the countdown to Christmas."

Passengers are advised to allow for extra journey time and check for information before they travel via www.nexus.org.uk and on Twitter at @My_Metro, where full details of the Metro's service status are available.