A win at White Hart Lane coupled with a Newcastle result against Arsenal would give Spurs the fourth-place finish and Champions League berth that they have been aiming for.
While new manager Paolo di Canio will not be looking for his players to throw in the towel, it wouldn't be surprising to see them check out for this one.
Sunderland will not be with left-back Danny Rose for this one, as the defender is on loan from Tottenham and has now returned to the north London club.
There are even more problems for Sunderland, as Stephane Sessegnon and Craig Gardner are suspended for their red cards while Lee Cattermole and Steven Fletcher are injured.
Spurs will hope that winger Gareth Bale can come through for them once more in this one and give them some hope of getting into the Champions League.
Sunderland, on the other hand, will be relying on goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, who has had a relatively good season and will need to have a good match to cope with Bale's threat.
On the other side, Sunderland have gone through a dry spell since the initial boost they experienced from hiring Paolo di Canio, going winless in their past three matches while working their way to safety.
The earlier meeting between the clubs this season was a memorable one, with Spurs overturning a one-goal halftime deficit away from home with two goals in three minutes.
Whether their performance will be enough to help them reach their goal of Champions League football, though, will be determined in Newcastle.
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