Sunderland AFC news: BBC pundit says it must be "terrible" to support Cats, USMNT defender on drop fight

Sunderland are facing a last-gasp scrap to remain in the Premier League for the fourth successive year, with the Black Cats two points adrift of safety heading into the final eight games.

Draws from the jaws of victories in each of the last two games have prevented Sam Allardyce's side from forging a buffer with the bottom three and ex-Chelsea frontman Sutton says it must be torturous for supporters to see Sunderland dicing with danger yet again.

"Sunderland do it every year, who would want to be a Sunderland fan?" Sutton told 5 Live.

"It'd take 20 years off your life watching them every week!

"Blimey, everyone up there must be bald or grey.

"The last four years, it must be terrible. It must be great for a week during the summer, and then it's the same old."

Sunderland defender DeAndre Yedlin believes the Black Cats' inability to convert a lead into three points is partly due to psychological factors.

Allardyce's men have failed to keep a clean sheet in 16 games and been pegged back late-on against both Southampton and Newcastle.

"Maybe it comes down to the mental side and being a little bit stronger and having a bit more grit," said Yedlin.

Meanwhile, seven Sunderland first-teamers have been called up by their countries during the international break.

Seb Larsson (Sweden), John O'Shea (Ireland), Wahbi Khazri (Tunisia), Lamine Kone (Ivory Coast), DeAndre Yedlin (USA), Patrick van Aanholt (Holland) and Jordan Pickford (England U21s) are all away during the two-week break from Premier League action.