Portsmouth boss Avram Grant believes that his side's home clash with out-of-form Sunderland is a must-win if Pompey are to have any chance of avoiding relegation from the Premier League.

Grant's side are seven points adrift of safety going into the Fratton Park showdown, with the club also set to face a winding-up order the following day.

That ensures that Grant and his players are under massive pressure to get a result, with the Israeli telling The News:"Sunderland is most important, we are playing at home and we need the points.

"We need these points if we are going to go forward this season. This is a big game and we are running out of time.

"We will do everything to win this game. They are a good team, but I don't see teams who are better than us in the bottom half.

"That is why it's a pain that we are not taking points.

"Football is about putting the ball in the net and at the moment we are not doing that.

"Everything is going well – the football we play, the spirit and chances we are creating. If we continue like that we will take points."

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