Since reaching the Wembley final against Manchester United, which takes place on Feb. 26, Southampton have lost all three of their other fixtures, starting with a 5-0 home defeat by Arsenal in the FA Cup.
They have now been beaten in six of their last seven league games, while Sunderland have rallied with a draw against Tottenham and a 4-0 away win at Crystal Palace last Saturday.
"We had a great result last weekend and the players showed everyone what they could do," said manager David Moyes on Friday.
He warned, however, that they must build on that performance and win successive games for only the second time this season.
"We've been in this position before and we've not done it, so we need to do it this time.
"We have to be positive and win. The players have shown the standard they can play at. We're in a good mood but we have a long way to go."
Former Manchester United men John O'Shea and Adnan Januzaj will be fit to play for Sunderland, but midfielder Jack Rodwell is out with a hamstring injury.
(Reporting by Steve Tongue; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
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