It's a two-match sprint for Bournemouth in the race to avoid relegation, starting with Sunday's near must-win affair with Southampton at Dean Court.
The Cherries (8-7-21) are at the top of the drop on 31 points, ahead of Aston Villa on goal difference and trailing Watford by three points. Eddie Howe's team, who wrap up their season at Everton next week, have a comparable run-in to Villa, who close at Arsenal and home to West Ham. It is easily better than Watford, who are at Manchester City on Tuesday and host the Gunners.
"As always when you are going into big games, it's about yourselves and your plan for the game," Howe told the Bournemouth Echo. "It's about the process, not about the result, which is very difficult to sometimes think about because the result is the thing you want the most. But it's all about how you are going to get the result.
"So I think for the players it's about focusing on that rather than anything else. Other teams, other results, it's just wasted energy. So focusing on how we are going to play is the only way to deal with the situation."
Bournemouth received a lifeline of sorts by West Ham defeating Watford on Friday, essentially reducing the relegation race to three teams for one spot. Despite absorbing a 2-1 loss at Manchester City on Wednesday, the Cherries showed plenty of fight and positive play in attempting to build off their dominant second-half effort in beating Leicester City last Sunday.
Howe, though, will be without a key member of his first XI for this contest as centre back Nathan Ake has been ruled out of a second straight match with a groin injury. The gaffer held out hope he would return for the finale versus Everton but was optimistic Adam Smith could make the 18 for this contest after sitting out the last two due to a concussion suffered versus Tottenham.
The Cherries have been uneven at home this term, collecting 21 points from 18 matches and winning back-to-back matches at Dean Court just once.
Southampton (13-7-16) are all but certain to finish outside the top half of the table even with wins in their final two contests, but Ralph Hasehnhuttl's team are collecting points to the finish. The Saints pushed their unbeaten streak to five matches (2-3-0) with a 1-1 draw versus Brighton and Hove Albion on Thursday, with Danny Ings notching the equaliser on 66 minutes.
Ings became just the third player in club history to score 20 goals in a Premier League season, joining Matt Le Tissier (25 in 1993-94) and James Beattie (23 in 2002-03). Ings is one goal shy of matching his league career high set with Burnley in the Championship in 2013-14 and is second to Leicester's Jamie Vardy in the race for the Premier League's Golden Boot.
"If there is one striker out there that deserves to score that much it is him because he works unbelievably for the team," Hasenhüttl said of Ings to The Times.
Southampton have been one of the Premier League's best road teams this term, setting a franchise record with eight victories outside St Mary's. A draw would also give them a club-record 29 road points in a top-flight season, eclipsing the 28 accrued in 1983-84.
"It's always nice to hear it, but it doesn't help us to win games," Hasenhuttl told the club's official website upon hearing the record for road points. "For us, it's more interesting to concentrate on the behaviours we have on the pitch so we can do better than we did in the last game, by scoring more goals and conceding less – this is the only goal we have.
"We have to concentrate on our strengths and also what they do, but all the games we've played before this season don't really help you win the next one."
Bournemouth are going for the double after running out 3-1 winners at St Mary's in September. Ake and Harry Wilson scored first-half goals for the Cherries before James Ward-Prowse pulled one back via penalty shortly after halftime. Callum Wilson slammed the door with a stoppage-time third for the Cherries, who are 1-2-1 at home versus the Saints in the Premier League era.