Our look ahead to Saints' last 16 games of the season concludes with the final quartet of matches:

Sunderland (away) Saturday, May 2

Gus Poyet’s Black Cats will certainly be fired up for revenge whether they are safe from the drop by then or not.

The memory of their 8-0 thrashing at St Mary’s last October will take a long time to fade, no doubt.

Remarkably, Sunderland have an enviable away defensive record if you take away that extraordinary defeat on the south coast.

In 11 away league games, they have shipped 17 goals. But if you don’t include the St Mary’s debacle, they have only conceded nine goals in ten games!

Poyet will be hoping ex-England man Jermain Defoe can spark some life into the Black Cats attack which has only managed 19 goals in their 22 Premier League game so far.

Home record: Sunderland have only won once in the league at the Stadium of Light in 11 games – yet are still outside the drop zone.

That solitary success came against Stoke on October 4, but Poyet’s men have held Manchester United, Tottenham and Chelsea – three of the current top five – on Wearside.

Contrastly, Sunderland have also been beaten 3-1 at home by Stoke.

Record v Saints: Sunderland hosted Saints three times last season, and didn’t lose any of them.

They came from 0-2 down to draw in the Premier League, and also dumped Saints out of both the FA Cup and League Cup.

Prior to the 8-0 victory, Saints had not beaten the Black Cats in five attempts in league and cup action since returning to the Premier League in 2012.

Leicester (away) Saturday, May 9

Nigel Pearson’s Foxes could be relegated by the time Saints arrive at the Kingpower Stadium.

They are currently bottom of the table with only four wins from 22 matches and have only netted 20 times.

Striker Leonard Ulloa is their top league marksmen with seven strikes, but five of them came in the first five games of the season. Since then, he has only managed two in 17 outings.

Those stats aren’t too dissimilar to Graziano Pelle’s at Saints. After hitting six goals in his first eight Premier League games, the Italian has only managed two in his last 14.

Pearson certainly needs to find some goals from somewhere, as his second highest league scorer is defender Jeff Sclupp with three.

Home record Leicester have managed just two league wins at the Kingpower.

The first remains one of the stand-out results of the entire top flight season so far – a 5-3 win against Manchester United in September after the visitors had led 3-1.

Leicester then had to wait until January 10 for their next home success, Paul Konchesky scoring in a 1-0 win against goal-shy Aston Villa.

Record v Saints Saints have only won twice in 12 visits to Leicester since 1986.

They triumphed 4-0 in the top flight in December 2001 while Andrew Surman (penalty) and Stern John netted in December 2007.

John scored the only goal of the return match at St Mary’s the following March, and Leicester were relegated a few weeks later – Saints staying up at their expense on a dramatic final day.

Aston Villa (home) Saturday, May 18

Paul Lambert has been coming under ferocious pressure as his struggling side continue to fire blanks.

Villa have English football’s worst goalscoring record, having netted just 11 times in 22 games – only three more goals than Saints managed in 90 minutes against Sunderland.

Despite those woes, they do have a good defensive record – the joint fifth best in the section with only 25 goals conceded.

But if Lambert can’t find a way to end the goals shortage, Villa’s proud record as an ever present member of the Premier League will be in serious danger.

Away record Villa have only scored four times in 11 away games – the lowest total in English football.

Two of those goals came in their first two trips – 1-0 wins at Stoke and Liverpool.

In the nine games since, they have only netted in a 1-1 draw at Burnley and a 1-0 victory at Crystal Palace.

Record v Saints Villa won 3-2 at St Mary’s last season, despite Saints dominating possession.

The previous term they had taken the lead at St Mary’s, only for Saints to hit back and run out 4-1 winners.

That was Saints’ only Premier League success against Villa in six games at St Mary’s.

Villa also won 3-2 in April 2005 – Steven Davis on target after Saints had led 2-0 – and 3-1 in September 2001.

Manchester City (away) Sunday, May 25

What a fascinating and intriguing match this could be.

City might need the three points to retain their Premier League title.

On the other hand, Saints might need them to clinch a seismic top four finish.

With the way the league table is at the moment, the latter scenario could look more likely than the first one.

Home record City won 18 and drew just one when they claimed their first Premier League title in 2012.

And they only lost one and drew one en route to their second crown last term.

This season, though, they have already lost twice – to Stoke in August and Arsenal last weekend – as well as drawing with Chelsea and Burnley.

Record v Saints Saints have lost their last three Premier League games at City, the last one a 4-1 reverse last April which was overshadowed by Jay Rodriguez’s nightmare knee injury.

Prior to all that, they had actually won three in a row at City, including a 1-0 success on the final day of the 2002/03 season in the last league game to be played at Maine Road.

Michael Svensson’s goal lifted Gordon Strachan’s men three places to a club record eighth in the Premier League.