Everton fullback Seamus Coleman says they must only focus on their next game against Sunderland.

Everton welcome the Premier League's bottom club looking to maintain their eight-match unbeaten league run and keep their place at the top of the division's form table.

"It's the boring answer but you can only focus on the next game," he told evertonfc.com. “If you look too far ahead at a run of games and try to imagine where you could be in the table, you take your eye off the ball and you'll get punished for that.

“We're focused on Sunderland. We know they'll be fighting for their lives, especially after the result they had last time out and we need to be ready for them.

“We would have liked to go into the break with a win [against Middlesbrough], but it was important we didn't lose. We have worked hard in Dubai and we'll continue to prepare for the next game this week."