West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic has insisted that his team must not underestimate Sunderland purely because of their poor start to the season.

The Black Cats are at the bottom of the table after failing to win any of their seven games, and picking up just two points overall.

In contrast, the Hammers head to the Stadium of Light having beaten Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City on the road.

Ahead of Saturday's meeting, Bilic has admitted that facing Sunderland is tougher than playing the Premier League's elite.

"It's a bigger story around those games but this game is more difficult than those ones," Bilic told reporters. "Now everybody around us is expecting us to win that game. That can put us in a situation where we are a little bit relaxed.

"You can be on your toes but not fully aware. If that difference comes we are in trouble. We have to make sure we are the right way in approaching the game. Only if we are like we have been in the previous three away games will we have a chance to come back happy."

West Ham are currently third in the league table.