The onus is on Sunderland to do everything in their power to defeat Burnley on Saturday, according to David Moyes.
All eyes will be on the Stadium of Light come 3pm as the Black Cats plot their Premier League ascendancy and the Clarets seek a first away win of the season.
The fourth meeting between the sides during the current campaign, the game also marks a fourth consecutive game on the road for Sean Dyche’s side as the Lads return to action following a two-week break.
And speaking ahead of the game, the Sunderland boss admitted his side can’t afford to give Burnley that coveted away win.
“We have to make sure it [their away form] doesn’t turn,” said Moyes. “We have to make sure we’re team doing everything they can to get the three points.
“Burnley have been a tough opposition for lots of teams this year; they’re well-drilled and they’ve been together as a team for a number of years now, so that gives them an advantage.”
He continued: “But we have to try and get something from the game – that is really important.
“We need to score more goals and make more chances, but in the same breath we need to make sure we don’t concede and give ourselves too much to do.
“We learnt in the first game [against Burnley] that if we can’t cope physically we’re going to have a problem, and we’re going to have a problem if we can’t compete for second balls and defend set pieces.
“Those are the fundamental things we have to do before we start talking about tactics or how we’re going to do things – we have to deal with them.”