Sunderland and Middlesbrough face off on Wednesday evening (KO 7.45pm) at the Riverside Stadium as both sides target three points in the race for survival.
And Boro, who fell to a heavy 4-0 defeat on Saturday against AFC Bournemouth, are winless in their last three Premier League encounters with the Black Cats.
The last top-flight meeting between the two sides on Teeside came in 2009 as Afonso Alves and Kenwyne Jones found the net, with the last Riverside meeting coming in the EFL Cup in 2012 when Stephane Sessegnon notched an extra-time winner.
Boro have won just one of their last 10 games against their north-east counterparts (W1 D6 L3), but that win did come against the Black Cats earlier this season.
There have been just ten meetings between sides in 19th and 20th in the PL since the start of the 2012-13 campaign, and only one of the match-ups has been won by the side that’s bottom.
However, that result came in 2014 and is was Sunderland who emerged victorious, as Cardiff City were dispatched in a 4-0 win as the Black Cats mounted a great escape.
Jermain Defoe (14) and Alvaro Negredo (8) top the scoring charts for their respective clubs and one moment of magic from either could prove pivotal, with the Black Cats and Boro the lowest scoring sides in the division.
Indeed, the Riverside has seen fewer goals than any other Premier League stadium this season, with Boro netting just 13 times and conceding on 19 occasions.
And Defoe, who hasn’t found the net for eight games, will be desperate to end his wait and fire Sunderland to victory.