Must-win game over super Saints

Sunderland welcome one of the best-run clubs in the country when Southampton arrive on Wearside this weekend.

They are having another comfortable season in the Premier League with the massive bonus of a Wembley cup final coming up and all this on the back of their usual sale of top players and the appointment of a new manager in the summer.

Nothing seems to faze the Saints, whereas Sunderland lost a manager in pre-season and the whole place seemed to implode.

Southampton see it as a chance to move on and when they lose their star players, they replace them with ones just as good – pretty simple really.

Over the last few seasons you could name an entire starting XI plus subs that Southampton have sold to other Premier League clubs, bringing in more than £200million, which they reinvest in quality replacements and an incredibly productive academy.

That is enough of bigging Southampton up, though. Sunderland have a job to do on Saturday and despite the Palace win, we are still bottom and it is getting to the stage where draws are not enough – we need more wins, especially at home.

One thing in our favour is former Sunderland target Virgil van Dijk is out, and as he is their best defender, that is something in our favour.

Southampton are a good but not great team. They are out of form and have lost seven times away from home so they are vulnerable on the road and Sunderland must cash in.

Confidence has surely gone through the roof after a fourgoal win and I think it will be reflected in the stands too, so I am expecting a great atmosphere come Saturday.

Sunderland’s last two games have brought four points.

I don’t think many fans would have expected that many but to really get the value from those two performances Sunderland must beat Southampton and find some real consistency for the first time this season.