Alex Neil has successfully tightened Sunderland up at the back in the last few weeks and will relish the challenge of taking on League One's highest scorers in Oxford United on Saturday.

The Yellows have fallen out of the play-offs after suffering back-to-back defeats on the road at Plymouth Argyle and Morecambe.

Oxford's fluid attacking unit does come at the expense of some defensive solidity and Neil revealed what he is expecting from the match when he spoke to ChronicleLive.

He said: "I think they'll go for it.

"Karl's (Robinson) teams are naturally attacking anyway, they aren't really set up to be defensive, they will try to score goals and they are one of the most threatening teams in the league, so it will make for an entertaining game.

"They are well-coached, they have some good players, they have fluctuated with their shape recently in terms of going with a back three and a back four, so we'll be equipped and set up to cope with that.

"If this was the second or third game of the season, and you were looking ahead to the rest of the season, you go into this feeling a bit more cagey, trying to get something from the game but also making sure we are nice and solid.

"But we are at the stage of the season now - and it's the same for every team - where points are at a premium, so there will be many more teams going for the game and trying to get the three points right from the off and make it quite open."

It is set up to be a hugely intriguing tussle between two sides battling it out to squeeze into fifth or sixth place before the fixtures run out.

The clash of styles between Neil and Robinson should produce a very entertaining affair, with Oxford needing all three points to make ground on those above them.

The Verdict

Sunderland's new found defensive solidity has come at a crucial time, a draw on Saturday may not see the Black Cats push back into the play-off places, however it could be a result that they would look back on as a very important one at the end of the season.

A loss for either team will make it very difficult to finish in the play-offs, the stage is set for an enthralling game.

The Black Cats' firm rearguard puts them in a good position to stay on the right side of fine margins in the final six matches of the season, which could be crucial over a small sample size.

As ever the first goal feels enormous on Saturday, with the Black Cats either needing to spring out of their rigid shape or able to increase a sit back and contain approach to yield a positive result.