Jordan Pickford believes the reasoning behind Everton taking their European charge down to the last two games of the season is down to David Moyes.
Everton are 10th in the Premier League and still have an outside chance of finishing as high as sixth, while a spot in the Conference League is a real possibility.
Since Moyes returned to Everton in January 2025, the Toffees have won 21 Premier League games and have already surpassed their top-flight points total from 2024-25.
The last time Everton appeared in European competition was back in 2014-15, when they reached the round of 16 in the Europa League under Roberto Martinez.
Everton last finished in the top half of the Premier League five seasons ago, and Pickford believes Moyes has laid solid foundations to build on for the future.
"It's been good, a lot better," Pickford said of Everton's upturn in form this season. "I think we've made a lot of improvements overall.
"You look at the wins and performances away from home we've had, then, more recently, the buzz we've created around Hill Dickinson Stadium, it's been positive.
"In truth, we've probably left a few points out there which would have put us higher than where we currently find ourselves, so that's a bit frustrating, but from where we've been to where we are now, both as a team and as a club, it's definitely going in the right direction.
"The manager [David Moyes] has put his own stamp on it. He is a workhorse! He's non-stop. He won't leave anything to chance and will never cut corners.
"He puts a lot of work in to give us the detail to give us the best opportunity to win each game."
Everton will be hoping to continue their quest for Europe with a positive result against Sunderland, who have fallen out of contention for finishing inside the top six.
Regis Le Bris' side were held to a goalless draw against Manchester United last time out, though the Black Cats have certainly made an impression in their top-flight return.
Sunderland have earned 48 points in the Premier League this season (W12 D12 L12), only earning more in a campaign in the competition in 1999-00 (58) and 2000-01 (57).
Granit Xhaka has been key to their success, though Sunderland's attack has perhaps hindered them, with only bottom club Wolves (25) scoring fewer than their 37 this season.
When asked by BBC Radio Newcastle why they have struggled to score goals this term, Xhaka replied: "Is it enough if you get 48 points? Don't forget where we have come from.
"The demand from the outside is big, and we are demanding of each other as well to score goals and not concede many.
"This is our first season together with many new faces. It takes time, so we just have to be proud of what we are doing at the moment because we are having a great season.
"The target was to survive, get as many points as possible and see where we were at the end. Now, in the last two games, we want to give everything and be proud of ourselves."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Everton – Beto
Beto is Everton's top scorer in the Premier League this season with nine goals. Five of these have come in his last five outings, having scored just four in his first 30 this term.
In addition, of Beto's 20 top-flight goals for Everton, 17 have been scored between the months of January and May, and he will be hoping to add another here.
Sunderland – Brian Brobbey
Though Brobbey has failed to score in the Premier League since Sunderland's victory over rivals Newcastle on March 22, he continued to be a handful in the final third.
Against United, he ended with team-high totals for shots (three) and touches in the opposition box (nine), while only Enzo Le Fee (four) created more chances than his three.
MATCH PREDICTION: EVERTON WIN
Having lost five of their first seven Premier League games against Sunderland (W1 D1), Everton have since lost just four of their last 26 (W16 D6).
The Toffees have also lost their final home league match in just one of the last 10 seasons (W8 D1), winning the last five in a row since a 3-1 loss to Bournemouth in 2019-20.
However, Moyes' men are winless in their last five Premier League games (D3 L2), their longest run without a win this season. They have also conceded at least twice in all five games, with Everton last having a longer run of conceding 2+ goals between October and November 2020 (six).
Sunderland, meanwhile, have drawn 12 Premier League games this season, only having more in 2014-15 (17). Four of these have been 0-0, with the Black Cats only having more goalless draws in 2014-15 (nine) and 2011-12 (five).
They have also lost eight of their last 10 top-flight away games against Everton (W2), going down 6-2 (November 2015) and 2-0 (February 2017) in their last two visits.
It will be Sunderland's first Premier League game at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium. The Black Cats have lost at 46 of the 52 grounds they have played in the competition (88.5%), with only Fulham (90%) losing in a higher share among teams to have played at 50+ grounds.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Everton – 52.7%
Draw – 23.8%
Sunderland – 23.5%