Sunderland boss Sam Allardyce insists his side cannot overlook Everton as they try to confirm their Premier League survival on Wednesday night.

The Black Cats currently sit 17th in the league table and they take on Everton at the Stadium of Light knowing a win confirms their survival.

Rivals Norwich City also take on Watford on Wednesday and Alex Neil’s men need a win to continue their hopes but Sunderland must also taste defeat.

Newcastle do not play until the weekend and some sections of Sunderland’s support have already started dreaming of another year in the top flight.

Despite their disappointing campaign, Everton will pose a serious threat according to Allardyce and the former Bolton boss has urged his players to handle the pressure. Speaking ahead of kick-off, Allardyce told the Guardian: “It’s still big, big pressure.

We’ve got two games left to secure Premier League status but knowing we can kill everyone else off on Wednesday is pressure in itself. Can we handle it?

“Everton will be out to spoil our celebrations. We’ll need a big performance.

Roberto’s players will fight all the way because of the criticism they received after their defeat at Leicester at the weekend.

We’ll need to really be on our top game to beat an Everton side that’s performed better away than at home this season.”

Allardyce’s men are 1.83 favourites to grab all three points, while the draw is 3.75 and Everton can be backed at odds of 4.20.