Regis Le Bris has urged his Sunderland team to have an aggressive approach to the end of the Premier League season, starting with their fixture against Fulham on Sunday.
The Black Cats are currently 11th in the English top flight with 12 games to go, 12 points above the relegation zone and just eight behind fifth-placed Chelsea.
However, Sunderland have lost four of their last six Premier League games (W2), as many as they had in their first 20 this season (W7 D9).
Defeats against Arsenal and Liverpool in their last two also made it the first time they’ve lost consecutive league games this season.
But, with captain Granit Xhaka returning from injury, Le Bris is determined to end the 2025-26 campaign on the front foot.
"We have 12 games left. So 36 points available. I want to see the positive side," said Le Bris.
“The next game is another opportunity to win three points. We know that in this league, there are no easy games.
"We spoke about Burnley and Wolves. They are competitive and every weekend shows that clearly.
"We are in our process and we want to stay aggressive, but we know it’s a learning curve. Sometimes you go through difficult moments and you have to accept that because it’s part of the journey.
"You learn through those experiences. You have to stay competitive from a mentality point of view."
Fulham are just two points behind Sunderland in 12th, but have failed to win their last three league matches.
The Cottagers won the reverse fixture 1-0 in November, and Marco Silva is keen to see his side show their quality at a tough away ground.
"We have to be at our best level. We were the better side against them at the Cottage, but they are a solid side and it's going to be tough," said the Fulham boss.
"We should enjoy playing in these types of stadiums, it's a test to see how capable we are in these types of environments.
"We want to win. Our ambition is to go to a tough place and show quality. Fulham, at our best level, will be able to win the game."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Sunderland – Granit Xhaka
Xhaka has more assists from line-breaking passes than any other player in the Premier League this season (four).
He’s also made eight line-breaking passes that have led to a goal this season (not all directly assisted by him), also a league-high.
Fulham – Raul Jimenez
Jimenez scored Fulham’s winner in the reverse fixture against Sunderland.
The only team he’s scored against in both league meetings in a campaign for the Cottagers is Newcastle United last season.