If West Ham are to stay up this season, they have to beat Sunderland this weekend.

Momentum is a powerful force in football. Being able to string together a couple of wins can turn the most dire of teams into troublemakers. When you’re in a relegation battle in particular, it’s absolutely vital you take the chances to build form when they come, as you don’t know how many runs of wins you’re going to get to go on.

West Ham have gone from looking like they couldn’t beat a Sunday League team to a fairly competent football team in just a couple of weeks thanks to back-to-back wins.

Having lost to both Wolves and Nottingham Forest at the start of the year, the Hammers have now left themselves in a critical situation.

In order to stay up this season, they need to produce something special, and they simply have to take advantage of their improved form. With a tough run of fixtures coming up, the Sunderland game could be pivotal to the remainder of their season. A win would do an unbelievable amount of good for the mood surrounding the club, and that belief is what’s needed.