Hull City manager Marco Silva hopes to secure all three points against Sunderland on Saturday afternoon, thus piling the pressure on Swansea City who play later in the evening against Everton.
"It is important that we are ready for all situations"
With Hull and Swansea looking set to fight it out for one safety place, Silva is looking for the Tigers to take advantage of having survival in their own hands. He expressed "the only important thing is that we need to do our own work and try to win our games if possible."
With Sunderland already relegated, Silva has pinpointed this match as an opportunity to earn maximum points, particularly with Hull's solid home record. He stated "we will respect Sunderland but we need to prove again that we are good in our own stadium."
Even though Hull have the chance to "put pressure on Swansea", Silva insists "I don’t think kicking off earlier is an advantage. This week we play before Swansea but next weekend Swansea play on Saturday and we play on Sunday. This is just the way football is and it is important that we are ready for all situations."
Recent form recognised by trio of nominations
Hull have picked up ten points from their last six matches, a run of form that has seen Silva nominated for Premier League Barclays Manager of the Month. However, he faces stiff competition for the accolade from Antonio Conte, Jose Mourinho, Mauricio Pochettino and Craig Shakespeare.
Midfielder Sam Clucas is also up for an award after his volley against Watford was noted on the shortlist for Carling Goal of the Month. The nomination comes after Polish winger Kamil Grosicki was voted PFA Fans Player of the Month after three assists in April, thus supporting his team's quest to avoid relegation this season.