Saints travel up to the Stadium Of Light knowing that only one result is acceptable if they want to achieve the aim of Europa League football next season.

Saints should travel up to the North east with no fear if they want to win the game, with respect to Sunderland they are a a team in freefall at present and we are a team who have spent the whole season in the top 7 of the table.

That being the case we now need to enter the final four games with a confidence and swagger of a team that is focused on achieving its aims and knows its own ability is good enough to do so.

There are some Saints fans who feel that this is a tough fixture, yes they are right but any fixture in this division is tough and in the table of toughness this one is no where near the top so we need to use that to impose ourselves on this game.

For their part Sunderland are now in the bottom three and Saints have to use this to their advantage, firstly there is the way Sunderland play, to be blunt a draw is no good for them, they have to win this game as desperately as we do, they have to come out at us and we have some good speedy options to catch them on the break.

Secondly is the their home record, it is as bad as just about anyone else in this division, they have been whopped at home by a number of teams including QPR, Villa and Palace, playing at home for them seems to be an issue, they will come out of the tunnel nervous, we have to capitalise on that.

Thirdly is the crowd itself, Sunderland's poor home record has meant that their fans have turned on the team too quickly, Match Of The Day has often showed pictures of mackems streaming out of the ground often before half time and Saints have to get the crowd on Sunderland's backs early on and not give the any chance to get behind them, it is pertinent to note that their only home victory of late came against Newcastle when the crowd would never turn.

So Saints task is clear, we have to just go and make sure that the result goes to form, forget the 8-0 win earlier in the season, just get out there and get another three points in the bag.

Ronald Koeman has a few selection issues, firstly I would like to see Toby Alderweireld restored to the centre of defence, that would be harsh on Yoshida but we need to be tight at the back, the Japanese International has played well this season when called upon, but ultimately it has to be the strongest players in the right positions.

In the centre of midfield I would like to see the return of Wanyama with Steven Davis alongside him, Davis has had some stick of late, but most of it is unjustified, yes he missed a chance or two against Spurs, but his main role in that game was to keep running and harrass a Spurs midfield who had almost double the possession of our own. Alderweireld has played well in the centre but ultimately cannot move the ball around as quickly as Davis.

If Wanyama and Davis can anchor the centre then play James Ward Prowse in front of them to pass the ball, yes there are those that say JWP has not yet quite blossomed, but this is the sort of game he needs to show his worth in, so lets give him the chance.

Out wide start Long and Mane, let them use their pace to frighten a dodgy Sunderland back four, with of course the in form Pelle up front.

We need to get back to the form we showed earlier in the season, back then we moved the ball quickly against teams like Sunderland, we didn't over elaborate in the midfield, we got the ball quickly out wide and used the flanks with the full backs overlapping, we have lost some of that of late and that has seen Pelle starved of the balls he thrives on as he showed on last week when a superb Long cross saw him bury a header.

Perhaps there could be a shock in goal, Paulo Gazzaniga did not play in the U21 game in midweek, could he be in for a recall to the first team, certainly his composure in the recent U21 cup final showed that perhaps the confidence destroyed by some elements of our support getting on his back in the past seemed to be back.

If Koeman feels he is ready to come back in then this would be the game to do it where he will not have his own supporters on his back.

Saints need to win this not only for Europe but because Swansea will be breathing down our necks if we dont.

In essence lets go out there and show just why we could be the fifth best team in England this season in four games time, it is in our hands.

Photo: Action Images

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