With 11 games left to play, Sunderland need potentially five more wins - will they do it?

March Fixtures: 18th Burnley (h)

We round off March with a home game against a Burnley side who have struggled on the road in this campaign - and though we've failed to beat Sean Dyche's side on the three occasions that we've faced them already this season, it's one game that we have to ear-mark as a must win.

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April Fixtures: 1st - Watford (a), 4th - Leicester (a), 9th - Man Utd (h), 15th - WHU (h), 29th - AFCB (h)

April is an absolutely hectic month and we play five games in total - and, had Arsenal not made it to the semi-finals of the FA Cup, it would have been six, though there is still a chance that our rearranged game against Middlesbrough could end up being played midweek before the month is out.

We start April with a game on the 1st away at Watford, a side that that seem to have just gone about their business without causing a fuss this year. By the time we head to Vicarage Road the Hornets could be pretty much safe, providing of course they are able to beat Crystal Palace.

Leicester City are next up for us on the 4th, a Tuesday night, and with the league champions also down the bottom end of the table with us this could prove to be an absolutely huge game for both teams.

The following Sunday sees us welcome Manchester United to the Stadium of Light, a fixture we actually won last season, and these are the type of games that we traditionally provide a shock in and take points where we aren't expected to. That said, José's men have been fantastic since finding their feet under the former Chelsea gaffer and you'd expect that they've got this game earmarked as a nailed on three points as they strive towards securing a Champions League place for next season.

The following Saturday we take on West Ham United, another home game, and whilst you'd like to hope that the Hammers will already have their summer holidays on the brain by this point, it won't be an easy game - though in truth, none of them are when you're bottom of the table.

We then (potentially) have a week off before taking on Bournemouth at the Stadium of Light to see the month out, hopefully still with a chance of survival in our hands.

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May Fixtures: 6th - Hull (a), 13th - Swansea (h), 21st - Chelsea (a)

It is critically important that Sunderland stay in touch with survival right to the bitter end this season, and with games against beatable opposition in Hull and Swansea in the final few weeks of the season left to play we could, if all of the stars align, potentially have survival wrapped up with games to spare (or not, depending how positive/negative you are about the whole situation).

Hull City away on the 6th of May will more than likely be a massive game in terms of the survival race, regardless of where we are by this point. Hull look the most likely of all the teams in the bottom three to stay up and just how important this particular game is will become more and more apparent the closer we approach it.

Likewise, the game against Swansea City on the 13th could also be huge, although you would expect that by that point the Swans will be well adrift of the rest of us riff-raff down the bottom - having looked dead and buried under the stewardship of Bob Bradley, they've looked a completely different outfit since Paul Clement took over as manager.

And, if things couldn't be made any more difficult for us, we round off the season with a visit to the capital to take on Chelsea. Here's hoping that it isn't just the home side - who are absolutely nailed on to win the Premier League title this year - celebrating something that day.

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Games to be rearranged: Middlesbrough (a), Arsenal (a)

Don't be surprised if our game against Middlesbrough is shoehorned in as a midweeker on either the 25th or 26th of April - something which could be seen as a potential advantage for us, providing we are still well within reach of getting out of the bottom three at that point. When you are doing well, the games coming thick and fast can often be a good thing.

And whilst we have had to cancel the original date for the Arsenal game at the Emirates on the 22nd due to their participation in the FA Cup, I'm predicting that somewhere either side of the Swansea game in May we'll face the Gunners midweek, with both sides available on those dates.

The race for a place the top four is going to go right down to the wire if the current table is anything to go by, and for the first time in many years Arsene Wenger's men are in danger of finishing outside of the Champions League places.