Sunderland manager Martin O'Neill has insisted that his side feel confident of beating anyone in the Premier League due to their current form.
The Black Cats have won five of their last eight games, including a 3-2 victory against Wigan Athletic last weekend.
O'Neill believes that his team can now look to build towards a top-half finish after climbing away from relegation danger to sit 11th in the table.
He told the club's official website: "Our form has been really good in the league and the most important issue now is to add wins.
"Naturally I'm delighted, because first and foremost we have won five of our last eight league games which is very important. Those wins were necessary. If you win a couple of games in this league, you feel like you can beat Barcelona and Real Madrid combined, whereas if you lose a couple you want to know where the next point is coming from.
"Outside the top four or five sides, who can conjure more wins than normal, it's the same for a lot of clubs. That said you still have to go into games with as much confidence as possible and not let yourself be affected by set-backs. We did that well at Wigan."
Sunderland are back in league action on Tuesday night when they host Swansea City.
Liam Power
