Nigel Adkins believes togetherness holds the key as Hull City bid to avoid the drop.
On Saturday, the 52-year-old brings his side to the Stadium of Light for a bottom-of-the-table crunch match, with just three points separating the Tigers and the Black Cats in the table.
There was nothing to choose between the sides in a KCOM stalemate back in September, but both clubs have since changed manager with Chris Coleman and Adkins taking charge.
And speaking at his pre-match press conference, the City manager outlined his blueprint for success at the Stadium of Light.”
“It is a big game for both clubs,” said Adkins.
“We need to go with a mind-set that we are going to win every game of football.”
He continued: “It is not the end of the world if we lose but, as I have highlighted to the players, you can’t afford to let one training session go by or one game go by because points are up for grabs.
“You can’t think ‘oh, we will be alright next week’, because we are at the wrong end of the table and we are in a relegation battle.
“What is Abraham Lincoln’s quote? ‘A house divided amongst itself cannot stand’.
“Well, we are together so we have a chance. We’re keeping clean sheets and everyone is pulling in the right direction.
“We are not fragmented.”