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We must keep believing – Butland sets three-win target in Stoke´s survival bid

SoccerNews in General Soccer News 8 Apr 2018

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Stoke City need to win three of their final five games to have a chance of staying in the Premier League, according to Jack Butland.

Paul Lambert’s side succumbed to a fourth straight loss on Saturday, going down 2-1 against Tottenham as Christian Eriksen scored twice for the visitors at the bet365 Stadium.

The result means Stoke remain second from bottom in the table but they now trail 17th-placed Crystal Palace by four points, a worrying gap considering time is running out to retain their top-flight status.

However, goalkeeper Butland insists the players must forget about recent results and instead focus on picking up points – starting with next Monday’s trip to West Ham.

“We need three wins, we know what we need to do and we’ll set out to do just that. If the team can play like we did yesterday then I firmly believe we’ll win games,” the England international told the club’s official website.

“We’re in a relegation fight, we’re going to be physical, but we’ve also felt that nothing is going our way at the moment and we’re not getting results our performances have deserved.

“We caused them problems, created opportunities and if things go slightly differently then we win the game.

“It’s similar to last week; things just haven’t gone our way and that happens when you’re down there. Of course, we’re disappointed not to have any points, but we stay strong and fight next week.

“We can’t feel sorry for ourselves; we must keep believing and battling because it’s up to us to turn that spirit into the right results the fans deserve.”

Stoke have not registered a league win since a 2-0 triumph over fellow strugglers Huddersfield Town on January 20.

After West Ham, they face tough games against Burnley and Liverpool before finishing their campaign with potentially pivotal fixtures with relegation rivals Palace and Swansea City.

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