SUNDERLAND are bracing themselves for a battle to retain strikers Kenwyne Jones and Djibril Cisse, with Tottenham and Portsmouth among those poised to bid for the Black Cats’ strikers this summer.

Pompey have been linked with a move for Djibril Cisse as reports also claim Greek side Panathinaikos are keen to land the Marseilles striker who is available for around £9m.

The France international hasn’t found the net since opening the scoring in February’s Tyne-Wear derby, but his ten goals this season have alerted a number of clubs to his availability. With Sunderland’s Premier League status still under threat, the club has not moved to agree a permanent move for the player.

Cisse has revealed he wants to remain in England next season, but the lure of Champions League football with Panathinaikos could tempt the ambitious 27-year-old.

After being rebuffed in January, Harry Redknapp is reportedly lining up a another move for Jones at the end of the season. The 24-year-old signed a new long-term deal at the Stadium of Light as chairman Niall Quinn attempted to deter interest for the striker who has also scored ten times during the current campaign.

But Spurs remain keen and are lining up a cash-plus-Darren Bent offer, although the England striker is thought to prefer a move to Everton.

Danny Collins, meanwhile, has insisted the “togetherness” in the squad will be the key to securing Premier League survival.

As the Black Cats prepare for one of the most important games in their recent history, Collins has revealed his determination to avoid the ignominy of adding another relegation to his CV.

The 28-year-old still bears the scars of the last time Sunderland dropped in to the Championship three years ago, when a nightmare campaign saw the Wearsiders end up bottom of the division on a then record low 15 points.

But Collins insisted that the present squad possess greater spirit than the ill-fated team of 2006.

“I’ve been in this situation before and sometimes one or two go missing or get a bit tense in difficult circumstances,” admitted Collins.

“That isn’t going to happen here – we’re all pulling in the right direction and we are all behind the gaffer. The lads have that togetherness.”

Victory against Hull City this weekend will ensure Sunderland’s fate remains in their own hands ahead of their away trip to bottom of the table West Brom the following week.

Collins added: “We obviously know how big the games are. Hull and West Brom are down there fighting – a win can take us above them and change things completely. We know how important those games are – a win could lift us massively. You look where the points are going to come from and these are the kind of games that you target.

“We’ve got Chelsea in the last game of the season and ideally we want to have our points on the board by that time in the season.”

Collins denied that with only five home wins this season, the players have been struggling to perform in front of the Stadium of Light crowd.

“I think we had the supporters behind us against Manchester United,” he said.

“And from the way we played, you could see there was no fear from us. Now we just need to replicate that against Hull, and make it somewhere other teams are fearful of playing.”

Collins believes that after a performance against Manchester United that boosted pride, if not Sunderland’s points total, his side have an edge over their confidencedrained opponents.

He said: “They’re (Hull) just coming off the back of a 3-1 defeat up at Middlesbrough, so hopefully confidence is a little bit low. We can put the pressure back onto them if we start well.”