Lincoln City manager Michael Appleton is looking forward to facing a Sunderland side with "big expectations" in the play-offs.
Carl Winchester's late equaliser against Northampton ensured Sunderland would gain a second-leg home advantage over the Imps, with the first leg taking place at Sincil Bank on Wednesday, May 19.
The Black Cats have faced Lincoln three times this season and are unbeaten against Appleton's side.
Regardless of results earlier this season, the Imps boss is confident his side will be able to prepare right ahead of the play-off clash.
"We've had a number of different games against Sunderland, we got turned over here," Appleton told LincsLive.
“Against them here, we should have been two up before they scored.
“But in the two games up there, I thought we were good. In the league game I thought were excellent and we were disappointed to only come away with a point.
“It just goes to show how far we’ve come. Hopefully, over the next nine or 10 days, we can get ourselves mentally and physically prepared for what’s going to be an exciting game.”
The Black Cats are the bookies favourites to win promotion and anything less would be considered a failure by many fans on Wearside.
Asked if that could play into the Imps’ hands, Appleton said: “Maybe, who knows? Obviously they would have been keen to finish in those top two positions, there’s no doubt about that.
“From our point of view, we’ll look forward to coming up against a side which has big expectations on them.
“We’ll try and play the way we play and hopefully that will be good enough.”
The Imps will travel to Wearside on Saturday, May 22, for the second tie and when asked if that would be a disadvantage to his side, Appleton said: "I don't know we'll see after the two ties. I don't think it does if I'm being honest.
"Even the fact we're going to have fans in - I think it would've made a bigger effect if it was a full house and we knew this place was going to be full.
"I might be thinking we missed a trick there, but I just the think the games are how they are and we have a great away record anyway so it's not something we're too concerned about."
