Sunderland boss Roy Keane has urged his team to transform improved away showings into points as they seek a cure for their travel sickness.

It is their creditable home form which has kept the north-east club out of the relegation places, with their away return of just two points from 13 matches the worst in the Premier League.

"We hope that first away win is close," Keane told the club's official website. "We've got to have that belief and we do. Our away performances of late, particularly in the last month or two, have been better but we need to turn that into results.

"Our home form has been good and it has given us a chance. But it's a while until our next home game [against Everton] and it would give us a great boost to go into that having picked up some points on our travels.

"We have a tough game at Portsmouth who are a very strong team, but we'll go down there in good spirits and hopefully give them a game."