Sunderland head to St Andrew’s tonight to take on fellow relegation battlers Birmingham City in what will be a vital game.
We may only be at the end of January, but these are the matches which the Black Cats need to win if they are to move clear of the danger zone.
The 1-0 victory over Hull City has given Chris Coleman’s side some momentum, but that’s only of use if they build on positive performances.
Too often, especially since Coleman’s arrival, Sunderland have notched a valuable win only to lose the next game and find themselves back at the bottom of the table.
Sunderland manager Chris Coleman (Image: Sunderland AFC)
Birmingham will be no pushovers, of course, but the Wearsiders will head to the second city in confident mood.
But what do to the stats say? Here are the Opta facts ahead of the big Championship game - do these give you any hope?
Form-wise, Birmingham have lost two of their last three home league games - both without scoring, while Sunderland’s last win on the road was exactly one month ago, when they came away from Nottingham Forest’s City Ground with a 1-0 win.
Sunderland won 3-0 in the League Cup at St Andrew’s back in 2014, although lost their last two Premier League trips to the same venue.
And here's how the table looks going into tonight's game