George Dobson insists his side will not fear promotion-chasing Sunderland when the Saddlers visit the Stadium of Light.
The Black Cats are third in League One, four points off the top two with a game in hand, and have only lost two league games all season.
Jack Ross’ side remain undefeated at home in the league but were beaten 1-0 by the Saddlers in an FA Cup second-round replay on Wearside in December.
Walsall held the Mackems to a 1-1 draw in the initial tie and also led 2-0 in November’s league meeting at the Banks’s before being pegged back to 2-2.
And having more than matched Sunderland three times already, Dobson believes the Saddlers have no reason to be afraid of them.
“In this league anyone can beat anyone,” said the 21-year-old.
“We have played Sunderland three times this season and haven’t lost yet. We’ve got nothing to fear.
“It’s going to be a great occasion. We will be playing in front of a lot of fans. Hopefully that gives us an extra incentive to put in a really strong performance.
“It’s going to be a tough game – their budget is ridiculous compared to ours. But you can’t fear anyone and we definitely won’t be fearing them.
“The next three on paper (Sunderland, Barnsley and Doncaster) are tough, but we are going into those games with no fear. Hopefully, we will get the points that will pull us right away from trouble.”
Sixteen-goal top scorer Andy Cook is available after serving a three-match suspension - and Dobson is pleased to have the forward back in contention.
“Cooky gives you a completely different dimension,” added the former West Ham youngster. “He is unbelievable.
“Josh [Gordon] has been outstanding since Cooky has been out. Zeli [Ismail] has stepped up as well and we have got Morgs [Morgan Ferrier] coming back which is a massive boost.
“We have got options up there now which is what we want. Hopefully they all keep performing because if they keep scoring goals, that will get us away from trouble.”