Southampton boss Ruben Selles admits it is getting more difficult to motivate players as relegation looms, but stressed everyone will continue to fight until the end of the season.
A 4-3 defeat at Nottingham Forest on Monday left the Saints on the brink of relegation, eight points adrift of safety at the bottom with just three games left.
A return to the Sky Bet Championship for the first time in since 2012 will be confirmed if Southampton fail to beat Fulham on Saturday or results elsewhere over the weekend go against them.
Despite the bleak outlook on the back of a 10-game winless run, Selles insists there is a determination to get the best possible results.
“It is our job and our privilege to fight until the very last minute and that is what we are going to do,” the Southampton boss said.
“We know it (relegation) is very close, but we still have our chances, it is not mathematically there.
“It is getting harder, of course, because the situation is not helping and it has been a tough week for us.
“We put all we have in against Nottingham Forest and we didn’t get the result that we wanted.
“Always when you get hit like that it is difficult to go to work the day after and to be super motivated, but I think we are in a good place that we can go tomorrow to compete and try to win the game.”
Selles accepts Saints could struggle to keep hold of key men like captain James Ward-Prowse in the Championship, but feels things are in place to be strong contenders for a swift promotion.
“I think the club has everything to bounce back very quick and be in the Premier League (again) the year after,” he said.
“We have our stadium with our fans that will support us, we have the organisation inside, the technical staff, the players and the future players, if it happens, that can help.
“We have a good structure with values, with philosophy and then it is just to put the things in place to go to the next chapter.”
Selles added at a press conference: “If we go to the Championship, of course we have players that the other teams in the Premier League will come and look for.
“It is not always easy to keep them for different reasons, in terms of budget or motivation for the player, so it is going to be (done on) a very individual case.”
Spanish coach Selles, who took over from Nathan Jones in mid-February on a deal until the end of the season, would like to stay and help the club rebuild.
“It is not for me to decide, but I would like to carry on in the Championship and bounce back to the Premier League in the year after,” he said.
“But right now we are just focusing on our daily job and trying to get the team being competitive tomorrow, and then we will talk about it if we need to talk about it at the end of the season.”
Fiorentina 2-2 Napoli: Kvaratskhelia keeps visitors' slim European hopes alive
Dethroned Italian champions Napoli's hopes of playing European football next season are hanging by a thread after they played out a 2-2 draw at Fiorentina in Serie A on Friday.
Napoli took the lead in the eighth minute through defender Amir Rrahmani, who nodded home a corner by Matteo Politano.
Cristiano Biraghi levelled for Fiorentina in the 40th minute from a free-kick, before M'Bala Nzola put the hosts in front two minutes later when he fired a shot into the bottom corner of the net.
Napoli's Khvicha Kvaratskhelia responded with another stunning free-kick early in the second half to rescue a point for his team.
Eighth-placed Fiorentina, on 54 points and with a game in hand, are five points behind Lazio in seventh.
They can still earn a Europa League spot either by leapfrogging the Rome side or by winning the Europa Conference League final in which they face Greece's Olympiakos on May 29.
Ninth-placed Napoli, on 52 points, still have a slim chance of making the Europa Conference League playoffs.
Data Debrief
Fiorentina left-back Biraghi has now scored six goals from direct free-kicks since the start of 2021-22, which is behind only James Ward-Prowse (seven) - now of West Ham and formerly of Southampton - as the most across Europe's top five leagues in that period.
Kvaratskhelia also levelled via a direct free-kick, making this the first Serie A match in which both teams scored via that route since Fiorentina against Lazio in April 2018 (Jordan Veretout and Luis Alberto in that case).
Southampton 3-1 West Brom (3-1 agg): Saints set up play-off final with Leeds United
Southampton saw off West Brom 3-1 at St Mary's on Friday to set up a Championship play-off final showdown with Leeds United.
Leeds thumped Norwich City 4-0 at Elland Road 24 hours earlier to book their place at Wembley, where Southampton now await on May 26.
The first leg between the Saints and West Brom finished goalless - just like the other semi-final - but the home side's quality told in the end.
Russell Martin's side dominated the first-half possession, with David Brooks going closest to scoring with a shot that hit the outside of the post.
Southampton made the breakthrough via a powerful Will Smallbone finish four minutes into the second half after Gray Diangana lost possession.
Darnell Furlong had a shot helped over by Alex McCarthy, while David Brooks - who assisted the opener - had a strong penalty appeal rejected.
Southampton remained in control, though, and Adam Armstrong scored a second with a shot through Furlong's legs and past Alex Palmer.
Armstrong's second goal arrived from the penalty spot in the 86th minute after Tom Fellows fouled Ryan Manning in the box, rendering Cedric Kipre's late header a mere consolation.
Marc Skinner signs Manchester United Women contract extension
Marc Skinner has signed a one-year contract extension as Manchester United Women head coach with the option of a further 12 months.
The 41-year-old guided United to their first major silverware last weekend with victory over Tottenham in the Women's FA Cup final.
United are fifth in the Women's Super League with one game to go - a massive drop on last term's runners-up finish - but Skinner will stay on.
"It's an honour to extend my stay at Manchester United," Skinner, who was appointed in 2021, told United's official website after the news was confirmed on Friday.
"I've always felt at home here, with our excellent players, staff, and fans.
"Being able to secure the team's first major trophy at Wembley was a real career highlight for me and another sign of our continued growth, on and off the field."
United conclude their campaign on Saturday against Chelsea, who lead Manchester City on goal difference entering the final day.
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