Sunderland are gearing up for a massive Easter weekend.

After securing victory over Bristol Rovers on Saturday the Black Cats find themselves closing the gap on the automatic promotion spots at a resounding pace.

At the time of writing Lee Johnson's side are just one points off second place and three from being top - all while having games in hand on the current top two of Hull City and Peterborough.

This weekend sees a dramatic double-header with Sunderland hosting Oxford United on Good Friday before travelling to take on Peterborough United on Easter Monday.

A positive return from those two games could put Johnson's side into the ascendancy as they look to secure promotion to the Championship - something that one former forward believes the club will pull off.

That man is Stephen Elliott who has expressed his belief that the club will end their three-year exile from the top two tiers.

Asked by the Sunderland Echo if the Black Cats will win automatic promotion, Elliott responded with a resounding: "Yes."

The verdict

It would take a brave person to bet against Sunderland at the moment.

The Black Cats are on fire right now and based on their current form it seems unlikely that they'll drop their pace between now and the end of the season.

Lee Johnson has done a wonderful job of building the belief in the squad and so it'll be interesting to see if the club finally pull it off.