Sunderland would fancy their chances against anyone in the play-offs - even if they find themselves up against Portsmouth for the fourth time this season.
That’s the view of Black Cats manager Jack Ross, who saw his side’s chances of automatic promotion all-but killed off as Sunderland were held to a 1-1 draw by Pompey at the Stadium of Light.
Sunderland now need to win both their final games to stand any chance of going up automatically, and they would also have to rely on Luton Town and Barnsley losing on the final day, and overturning a goal difference deficit.
Even then, Portsmouth could still deny them if they win their own final two fixtures.
The likelihood is that Sunderland will have to take their chances in the play-offs and - if that is how it pans out - Ross would be confident whoever his side comes up against.
“When we play at that level, we would give ourselves a chance against any of the teams who are in and around the play-offs,” he said.
“If we do find ourselves in there, you have to take all the games in isolation and they have their own atmosphere and intensity around them.
“I suppose for both teams today, neither of them would want to be there but if they are there then they have had a flavour of what it will be like because today had an atmosphere and an intensity around it as well.
“The encouraging thing for me is that when we have had games like that in the Stadium of Light, most of the time we have produced performances and I’d be confident we would do that again.”
Sunderland have now played Pompey twice in the league and once in the EFL Trophy final at Wembley, and there is every chance they could meet again in the play-offs - either in a two-legged semi-final, or in the final itself.
Sunderland have not won any of their meeting with Portsmouth so far, drawing today, losing in the league at Fratton Park in December, and drawing in the EFL Trophy final before going on to lose on penalties, but Ross does not believe that would hand Pompey any kind of psychological advantage.
He said: “I don’t think so because if I strip it back, we lost at Fratton Park with 10 men for 45 minutes.
“We didn’t really lose the EFL Trophy final - the game was a draw and it went to penalties.
“And today we drew the game but we played well.
“So I break it down that way which managers tend to do, they look beyond the results.”
