Sunderland return to the Stadium of Light on Saturday and the stakes simply couldn’t be higher as Burnley travel to Wearside (KO 3pm).
An on-off schedule over recent weeks has seen the Black Cats slip to six points from safety, with a seismic game against Middlesbrough, who saw manager Aitor Karanka depart on Thursday, set to be rescheduled.
Successive defeats to Southampton, Everton and Manchester City also haven’t aided their cause, but, if history tells us anything, it’s that when the going gets tough, the Black Cats get going.
Prior to those defeats, David Moyes’ side travelled to Crystal Palace for a crunch-match not unlike this weekend’s match-up, and they swept aside Sam Allardyce’s side with a crushing 4-0 win.
Against Burnley, they need another.
But it won’t be easy against a Clarets’ side who know victory could see them move into the top 10 if other results also fall in their favour.
The story behind their success provides encouraging reading for Wearsiders, though, with Sean Dyche’s side struggling to replicate their electric Turf Moor form on the road.
Indeed, the Clarets have picked up just two points away from home this season and failed to win a single game, but they haven’t been far away with last weekend’s performance at Anfield showcasing they’re a force to be reckoned with.
Sunderland already know that, however, having faced their Lancashire counterparts on three occasions already during the current campaign.
Both trips to Turf Moor ended in defeat for Moyes’ men, but a Stadium of Light stalemate sandwiched in between provides more than a crumb of comfort heading into part four.
The Black Cats made changes that day resting several key players, but they’ll be raring to go this weekend.
Jan Kirchhoff won’t feature, though, with the German’s return scuppered by a reoccurrence of a knee injury which is set to sideline him for a minimum of six weeks.
Fellow midfielders Lee Cattermole, Paddy McNair and Duncan Watmore are also unavailable, with Victor Anichebe continuing to recover from a knee injury.
Burnley, meanwhile, could be able to call on Steven Defour but the midfielder remains a doubt for the clash, with Johann Gudmundsson and Dean Marney ruled out.
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