At the moment, Brighton & Hove Albion are free from relegation. However, as the Premier League season winds down, they certainly don't want to take anything for granted.
Feeling a bit of unease, the Seagulls aim to avoid a third straight league defeat when they visit Southampton on Thursday night.
At the beginning of the week, Brighton (8-12-15) sat 15th in the Premier League table on 36 points. Usually, 40 is the target number to ensure safety, but the Seagulls appear safe at the moment, though, their recent 1-1-3 form is a cause for concern, and an indication that they might not be able to create more breathing room in the table.
Especially after a disheartening 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Manchester City on Saturday. It was the fifth time in the last eight league matches that Brighton were shut out.
"We want to be safe relegation on our terms," midfielder Leandro Trossard told Brighton's official website.
"Saturday was disappointing, but we have moved on. The focus now is to try and get three points against Southampton on Thursday.
"We know we can, and will, do better in the next game against Southampton. We have to clear our heads and concentrate on the next challenge."
That likely won't be an easy challenge considering Brighton lost 2-0 to Southampton (13-6-16) on Aug. 24. Though Danny Ings did not score in this contest, he assisted on Moussa Djenepo's early second-half goal. Nathan Redmond added some insurance in stoppage time for the visiting Saints.
Once in danger of being relegated, Southampton now have an outside shot at a top-10 finish in the table. Though that still seems like a tall order, things are going well for the Saints, who are 3-2-1 since the Premier League returned to action from the coronavirus pandemic lockdown.
Following Monday's 2-2 draw at Manchester United, the Saints are 2-2-0 since losing to Arsenal on June 25. Against United, Stuart Armstrong scored early and Michael Obafemi helped Southampton salvage a point with his stunning goal in the sixth minute of extra time.
"It was good that we found back our track," manager Ralph Hasenhuttl told Southampton"s official website. "We stayed brave, which is always the key to being successful for us."
Though Ings also did not find his way on the scoresheet against Manchester United, he's recorded 19 goals during the league season. He's scored four times upon the Premier League's "Project Restart."