Sunderland need to get a result away at Everton on Saturday, or they could find themselves being cast adrift in the bottom three.
The Black Cats have a history of staging a late-season surge to survival, and they will need to call on all of that experience to gain anything from Goodison Park.
Everton
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Prior to last week's defeat at Aston Villa, Everton were one of the in-form teams in the Premier League.
Roberto Martinez had quietly put to bed any whispers that they could be sucked into a relegation dog fight and strung together an impressive run of form, which culminated with a 3-0 win over Manchester United.
It is no secret that Everton's form has picked up now that they are no longer participating in Europe, and Martinez will be pleased to know that he won't have that issue next year.
The Toffees still have plenty to play for in the remaining three games and the Spaniard has challenged his men to grab a top-half finish.
They currently sit 11th in the table, while Stoke City and West Ham United are within striking distance.
At home, Everton have been in fine form recently and have won each of their last four games in front of their own supporters without conceding a goal.
On-loan winger Aaron Lennon has played a big role in their recent renaissance, but this will be the last time he puts on the blue shirt in front of home fans this season.
Everton host Lennon's parent club Tottenham Hotspur on the final day, which means that the Englishman can't play.
An impressive display against Sunderland could persuade Everton to sign him permanently this summer.
Recent form: WWDWWL
Sunderland
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Sunderland enter the match on Merseyside full of confidence following their 2-1 win over Southampton last weekend.
Jordi Gomez struck two penalties for the Black Cats to give them a much-needed victory, which keeps them in touch with rivals Hull City, Leicester City, Aston Villa and Newcastle United.
Manager Dick Advocaat firmly believes that they will still be a Premier League club next season, but for that to be the case they will have done things the hard way.
Sunderland do have a game in hand on their rivals, but that will come away at Arsenal, while they are also scheduled to visit new league champions Chelsea.
Next week's home game with Leicester City will also be vital, but the Foxes are one of the most in-form teams in the division.
Away from home they haven't won in the league since a 1-0 success at Newcastle in December, although they have picked up creditable points at Swansea City and Stoke City.
However, draws aren't enough for them at this stage of the season and they will be targeting only a victory this weekend.
Recent form: LLWLDW
Team News
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Everton manager Roberto Martinez has a lengthy injury list of players who will not feature again this season.
Bryan Oviedo, Darron Gibson and Tony Hibbert are all focusing on next year, while Steven Pienaar is unlikely to feature.
Youngster Luke Garbutt could be available after tonsillitis, but he is unlikely to get the nod over Leighton Baines at left-back.
Sunderland could have Wes Brown available for the first time in two months following a knee injury, although Ricky Alvarez and Emmanuel Giaccherini are unlikely to be involved.
Adam Johnson came off the bench against Southampton last week, so could make his first start since being charged for sexual activity with a girl under 16.
Everton possible starting lineup:
Howard, Baines, Jagielka, Stones, Coleman, Barry, McCarthy, Mirallas, Barkley, Lennon, Lukaku.
Sunderland possible starting lineup:
Pantilimon, Jones, O'Shea, Brown, van Aanholt, Cattermole, Larsson, Rodwell, Johnson, Wickham, Defoe.
Head To Head
This will be the 164th meeting between the two sides, and the 83rd at Goodison Park.
So far, Everton have a superior overall record with 72 wins to Sunderland's 63, while 50 of those have come on Merseyside.
Earlier this season, a penalty from Leighton Baines rescued a point for the Toffees, who fell behind to a Sebastian Larsson strike.
Sunderland will be buoyed from their recent record against Everton, which has seen them lose just one of the last four, but their recent record at Goodison Park is poor, despite a 1-0 win there last season.
The most notorious recent meeting between the pair came in 2007, when Everton recorded their biggest ever win over the North-East side with a 7-1 thrashing.
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Hit play below to see what the Sports Mole Sofa had to say about this encounter:
We say: Everton 2-2 Sunderland
League position means little at this stage of the season, and Everton will have to be wary of Sunderland's desperation.
There is a hint that the Black Cats could be set for a strong finish to the season following four points from their last two games, and we're backing them to earn a creditable draw here.
Charlie Bennett
