Joey Barton has said that his Fleetwood Town side have 'nothing to lose' as they prepare to face Sunderland on Tuesday night.

The League One side currently sit in sixth place in the table as they prepare to face the in-form Black Cats in the midweek fixture.

Phil Parkinson's side are undoubtedly favourites for the clash given their stunning charge towards the automatic promotion spots, and Barton says that his team will 'embrace the challenge'.

Speaking to the Fleetwood Town official website, Barton said: “We are that stage where we are thinking, who is next? We go to Sunderland on Tuesday night with nothing to lose and absolutely everything to gain.

"When you have the team we’ve got, when you have the unity that we have got running through the football club, you embrace those challenges.

"As a group we know we won’t win all those challenges, we are sensible enough to know that but it’s the way and the manner in which we go about it, and as I say, I have never come in and said the lads have not tried, or gone in hard for each other.

“We’ve never lacked effort and I think you want your team to embody that spirit in the town.

"I read an article in ‘The Guardian’ about Fleetwood and the history of the place and this town is a town of fighters! It’s a town that won’t lie down, it’s a town that won’t turn on its own and this town really live up to that!”

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The verdict

Joey Barton will certainly have his side pumped up for the Sunderland clash.

The Fleetwood Town boss has made a number of not-so-subtle digs towards the Black Cats over the course of the season and we know that he'd love nothing more than to put a stop to their stunning run of form.

Barton's side have promotion aspirations of their own and a victory at the Stadium Of Light will certainly bolster their hopes.

It's hard to disagree with his assessment, as Fleetwood have nothing to lose but plenty to gain.