SAM Allardyce believes that the team that deals best with the pressure of Monday night's relegation battle will come out on top.

Wanderers are used to these tough affairs, having faced fellow strugglers Derby and Ipswich at the Reebok towards the end of last season.

The difference is that this time around, Allardyce's side are already faced with "six pointer" games and we are barely into autumn.

But lying bottom of the table and taking on Sunderland, the side just one place above them, gives this fixture massive significance.

"This is almost like an end of the season game for ourselves and Sunderland because of our desperation for points," says Allardyce.

"The nervous tension that usually comes at the end of the season, which ourselves and many other teams went through last, will be happening no Monday.

"It will be a tense and nervous affair, and the team that best overcomes those nerves and performs better under that pressure will be the winners."

Allardyce faces an unknown quantity against Sunderland having never faced a Howard Wilkinson side before.

Wilkinson is famous for his tough managerial style and is a known advocate of the 'long ball' style of football, but before his new side took on West Ham last weekend it had been more than six years since Wilkinson had led a team out in the Premiership.

"It's difficult to tell how they will play," says Allardyce. "It's such a long time since Howard was based at a league club.

"He has always been adamant that he likes his teams to move the ball as quick as they can, and if he has players like Niall Quinn and Tore Andre Flo in attack, I would expect that to be the case.

"They will have a high work ethic and be an organisedteam. Everyone will know their job. Those things at any level of football are one of the main priorities."