Sunderland's 2-0 home defeat at the hands of Ipswich Town and former Black Cats manager Mick McCarthy plunged the club even deeper into the relegation mire. 

They are second bottom in the division, above only Burton Albion, although they are just the two points away from the safe haven of 21st place, which means every match is huge for Chris Coleman's men.

The next important clash on the horizon for Sunderland is the trip to Ashton Gate to face Bristol City, who have enjoyed a mightily impressive season but have seen their form dip dramatically as their EFL Cup run has taken something away from their performances.

Coleman will be hoping that the Robins' malaise continues on Saturday and a video posted from the club's official Twitter page revealed that the preparation's are underway already.

The Verdict

Sunderland have to go into every game believing they can get something, as they have not been cut adrift by any stretch of the imagination yet.

Bristol City have been on a poor run lately, there's no doubt about that, and Coleman should be telling his players to exploit that on Saturday.

Sunderland fans - what are your early predictions for the game? Let us know below...