Gus Poyet has warned his Sunderland players that winning their relegation battle could hinge on beating Burnley at the Stadium of Light.
The Black Cats sit level on points with the 17th-placed Clarets heading into Saturday's six-pointer in the North East, with both clubs just one point clear of the drop zone.
Poyet's side go into the clash without a win in their last five Premier League games, losing four of those, but he hopes that victory over Sean Dyche's men proves a watershed moment in their season.
"There are moments in the season where you have turning points, and the Burnley game is one of them, so it's an important week for us," he told Sky Sports News.
"The idea now is to first analyse the two games, Tottenham and this one, check really well if it's the way we want to go forward, train with it, play first and foremost Burnley and win. We need to win."
Burnley have won just one of their 10 away games this season - a 2-1 victory at Stoke City back in November.
Shane Callaghan
