Sunderland have a date with destiny on Saturday when they face Burton Albion, according to Chris Coleman.
The Lads and the Brewers find themselves within a point of each other in the Sky Bet Championship table, and anything other than victory will inflict a huge blow to either side’s hopes of survival.
Victory, though, would ensure the Lads remain in the fight and provide a real boost heading into the final two games, but Coleman admits his players can’t look any further than Saturday’s match-up.
And speaking to safc.com, he challenged his players to stand up to the test and emerge with a vital win.
“I’m not surprised it’s come down to this, it’s destiny, if you like,” said Coleman.
“The good thing about it is, it’s all on it, and when you’re faced with that and you come out having met that challenge, it’s a great feeling.”
He continued: “There’s two sides to everything and the reverse of that is, if we don’t perform and we lose, we know what’s going to happen.
“We’ve got to do what we’ve been doing, play with the same intensity and the same freedom to give ourselves a chance to beat Burton.
“It will be a bit nervy for us and Burton, I would imagine, and I think there’s going to be goals – it’s who comes out on top.
“There’s still a glimmer of hope and a chance that we can keep it going.
“We have to try to get the job done and try to make sure we’re still in the fight Saturday evening.”