Sunderland manager David Moyes must hope Wednesday's League Cup win at Queens Park Rangers boosts confidence sufficiently to inspire a first Premier League win of the season at home to unpredictable Crystal Palace on Saturday.
With just one draw from five games played so far, the Wearsiders are already lodged in a relegation battle with the prospect of a long and difficult season ahead.
The only consolation in the league programme so far is that if the second-half collapse that allowed Everton an unflattering 3-0 win on Sept. 12 is excluded, they have done well enough in the games lost to feel genuine disappointment not to have saved a point in each.