Sunderland striker Dame N'Doye is confident they'll beat the drop.

N'Doye joined Sunderland last month on-loan from Trabzonspor.

Asked whether this team can stay up, N'Doye told The Journal: "Yes, I believe that because of the atmosphere in the dressing room. The lads are very concentrated and they have a strong mind that they will stay up - and that is very important.

"Team spirit was strong at Hull also because everybody was working hard and they did not believe they were going down. Maybe we failed in some games and that is why we went down, but God decides that and when he decides, you cannot change it.

"Every year, you work hard to stay in the Premier League. Nobody expects to go down, but three teams have to go.

"I don't want to be relegated two seasons in a row. I did not want to be relegated at Hull, but now I have to forget about that and concentrate on this new challenge and keeping Sunderland up."