"This is a 'must win' game for us; Bolton have Spurs at home and you can't see them doing us any favours the way they are playing at the moment," he admits.
He is not only looking at Bolton, however, and reckons that other clubs could be dragged into the dogfight.
"If we can beat Sunderland and Birmingham and Leeds don't get results go their way at the weekend there are two other clubs that are going to get sucked into it, and they would be within range," he says.
"With Birmingham to come on the last day of the season we have got some massive games, the Bolton one in particular coming up.
"I think Birmingham had a series of really tough fixtures and they seemed to come out of that and think they could win the easier ones.
"But there are no easy games in the Premiership and I think they are going to find it very difficult to gain points from now right through the run-in when the pressure is on.
"They haven't gained many points lately, they have not been in this position before, and we are picking up at the right time.
"Everyone looked at 40 or 42 points before the start of the season and then we brought it down to 36 or 37, but you look at the form West Ham and Bolton are in at the moment, and if we win our home games against Sunderland, Villa, and Middlesbrough, that is nine points that I think we are very capable of getting.
"So if we get one or two wins at home, you are talking all of a sudden that we are above the 40 mark, and if we didn't survive with that we'd be very unlucky.
"You look at the West Brom match and have to say we were a bit fortunate there, we did very well in the Spurs game which was probably our best home performance other than the Arsenal game of the season, and last week, although it wasn't the best of games, it was a great point and we can take heart from that.
"I think this Sunderland game is one we will win and it does put the pressure on the other sides, and no matter what they say they will be looking over their shoulders at us.
"Mick McCarthy and Ian Evans will be preparing for next season rather than thinking they are going to survive this and if you had to choose anyone to play at home at the moment you would probably choose Sunderland."
But is he getting carried away? After all, he prefaced the games with Liverpool [0-3] and Leeds [0-1] recently by saying on both occasions it was a good time to meet them, too.
"No; I am confident and that is the way the boys in the dressing room and the manager should feel as well," he insists.
"When you get seven points out of nine it is a decent run and the West Brom game, fortunate or not, was needed to kick start the season.
"You looked at the Spurs performance and you thought 'that was a good one' - with the football that was played and the way they defended as a team, I think that augured well for the rest of this season.
"Then you look at Everton, on the verge of the Champions' League, when no one gave us a prayer, and I thought it was excellent."
Good fortune is a key factor, says Tony, who adds:
"Having been in that situation a couple of times with West Ham when you think your luck is turning you can just sense the change and I think with that happening and the crowd being right behind them - though they have been great for most of the season - you can sense that this could be it, and I fancy us."
Tony is delighted that Glen Johnson has signed a new contract with the Hammers - a four year deal from this summer - and he adds:
"It is good news, four kids in the team who are home grown products and I don't think there are many in the Premiership that can say that.
"And it is a side brim full of British players - there were 10 fielded on the last occasion - and I don't think many teams can say that, either.
"We are flying the flag!"
As for his personal view on team selection ahead of the Sunderland game, he says:
"He has got to go same again, I think it is obvious in this one, and I don't think anyone can argue with that.
"Fredi has to be on the bench in my view, but he is a welcome inclusion because we didn't have a striker on the bench last time.
"With Paolo being fit for the last seven games, hopefully he will see his way clear to being available, and that is another one that I can see changing games in the last 25 minutes or so.
"That is the role I see for Fredi at the moment because Les is in fine form while Jermain is getting better and better as the season goes on."
It is welcome forward competition for Glenn Roeder to contemplate, and Tony adds:
"We haven't had it all season; Jermain has been leading the line all on his own, there has been Joey just playing off him, Ian Pearce played up front for a couple of games but that didn't work too well.
"Obviously when you have got your main strikers missing they are going to struggle, but they are all back now and that is why we are going to survive."
Don Hutchison would love to play against the side he scored 10 goals in 39 games for in a year after moving from Everton, the trip to whom he missed out on last weekend through injury.
"Don I think would agree looked a little leggy last time he made an appearance at Upton Park but he is another one who can score vital goals and if he is brought on for the last 15 or 20 minutes he can do a vital job," says Tony.
"But it is very difficult at this stage of the season to gain fitness when it is only in the reserves, whereas if it was earlier in the season you could see him maybe getting in the side and at the moment there are a few ahead of him."
Remaining games:
Birmingham
22 Mar West Brom (h)
05 Apr Spurs (a)
12 Apr Sunderland (h)
19 Apr Charlton (a)
21 Apr Southampton (h)
26 Apr Middlesbrough (h)
03 May Newcastle (a)
11 May West Ham (h)
Bolton
24 Mar Spurs (h)
05 Apr Man City (h)
12 Apr Chelsea (a)
19 Apr West Ham (h)
21 Apr Blackburn (a)
26 Apr Arsenal (h)
03 May Southampton (a)
11 May Middlesbrough (h)
West Ham
22 Mar Sunderland (h)
05 Apr Southampton (a)
12 Apr Aston Villa (h)
19 Apr Bolton (a)
21 Apr Middlesbrough (h)
27 Apr Man City (a)
03 May Chelsea (h)
11 May Birmingham (a)
West Brom
22 Mar Birmingham (a)
05 Apr Middlesbrough (a)
12 Apr Everton (h)
19 Apr Sunderland (a)
21 Apr Spurs (h)
26 Apr Liverpool (h)
03 May Blackburn (a)
11 May Newcastle (h)
Sunderland
22 Mar Everton (a)
05 Apr Chelsea (h)
12 Apr Birmingham (a)
15 Apr Man Utd (h)
19 Apr West Brom (h)
21 Apr Man City (a)
26 Apr Newcastle (h)
03 May Aston Villa (a)
11 May Arsenal (h)