Regis Le Bris hopes the big-match occasion will bring the best out of his Sunderland side when they visit Leeds on Monday (20:00 GMT).
The Black Cats salvaged a dramatic 2-2 draw against the table-toppers at home in October but will face a different test at Elland Road, where Leeds have won 12 of their past 13 games and only conceded three goals.
"They are a very good team," Le Bris told BBC Radio Newcastle. "It will be an exciting challenge, but it's still [just] three points to play for.
"For us it's a really good challenge to test our limits.