Sunderland gear up for Southampton clash as Black Cats aim for EFL Cup run to escape Premier League gloom

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Sunderland may be dreading their next Premier League match against Arsenal but the Black Cats have the small obstacle of an EFL Cup fourth round tie against Southampton before they can think about that.

There is every reason why Tuesday's training session at the Academy of Light would have been filled with positivity as David Moyes' boys prepared for a break from their league gloom.

After all, Sunderland have been at their best in the EFL Cup this season with a 1-0 victory over Shrewsbury and a 2-1 win over QPR representing their only victories of the entire campaign.

Jermain Defoe, Lynden Gooch and John O'Shea are put through their paces at training

David Moyes is likely to field a mixture of first and fringe players at St Mary's

Seb Larsson continues his rehabilitation from an MCL injury as Moyes watches on 

Moyes is likely to field a strong team for the game at St Mary's with John O'Shea, Jermain Defoe and  Wahib Kahzri all involved in Tuesday's session.

However, the former Everton and Manchester United boss could also see it as an opportunity to rest his most important players ahead of the weekend visit of Arsenal.

But for O'Shea, who could return to the starting line-up after being benched for the 3-2 reverse against West Ham, Wednesday's game should be given the utmost priority, if only to spark a return to form in the league.

John O'Shea thinks a win against the Saints can give Sunderland confidence in the league

But they face an epic task to keep Claude Puel's men at bay

Moyes will come under increasing pressure if he cannot find a win from somewhere soon

Victor Anichebe could get his first start for Sunderland since arriving in the summer

'Without a doubt [it gives us a chance to build confidence ahead of Arsenal],' the captain told Sunderland's official website. 'We want to win games as quickly as possible for everybody associated with the club – ourselves, the fans, and the management and coaches.

'We especially want that win in the league, but if we can get a win in the cup and get through to the next round we'll take it.'

He added: “There’s some interesting ties in the round, including ours which is a tough one against Southampton, but hopefully we can get something from it.”

Duncan Watmore attempts to win the ball off of his team-mates in a Rondo session

Papy Djilobodji and Tommy Robson were both involved in training as well

Sunderland will qualify for the quarter-finals with a win against Southampton