Sunderland boss Sam Allardyce has said that his side's Premier League clash against Watford could be a pivotal game in the context of their battle against relegation.

The Black Cats saw their run of back-to-back victories ended in their defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium last week, which put the club back in the bottom three.

However, Allardyce is confident that if his side produce a similar display against the Hornets they will clinch the three points on Saturday at the Stadium of Light.

He told the club's official website: "I said before the game at the Emirates that you can play your best and still not win, and I think that was exactly the case.

"If we play to that level against Watford like we did on Saturday I think we have a great, great chance of winning, even though Watford are doing fantastically well at the moment. They already have 22 points on the board and it has been a fantastic start to the season for them, but one we hope to blunt on Saturday.

"It will be the end of our first phase of games and the first eight I've had – we broke these down before we arrived and we want to measure those at the end of it – and if we win on Saturday it will be 12 points from eight matches which is showing that we're more than likely going to pull out of the relegation zone."

Sunderland are 19th in the Premier League ahead of their clash against Watford.