Brighton boss Graham Potter stressed Premier League relegation is not decided in January as he moved to play down the significance of Wednesday’s showdown with fellow strugglers Fulham.
Albion sit five points and one position above Scott Parker’s 18th-placed Cottagers ahead of the midweek meeting at the Amex Stadium, albeit having played a game more.
While the perilous positions of the clubs have seen the match dubbed a ‘six-pointer’, Potter was eager to avoid adding to the hype.
“As far as I know you only get three for this one! But, if we win, I will take six, no problem,” he said.
“The point is, if you ask me or Scott, I am sure we would both say we’d love to win and three points would be fantastic for us.
“But we have got another 50-odd points to play for in the Premier League and nothing is finished in January, you have to keep fighting.
“I am sure both teams want to win.”
Brighton go into the second half of the campaign having registered a meagre 17 points from their opening 19 fixtures.
The Seagulls ended a nine-game winless streak at Leeds in their last Premier League outing but are still awaiting a first top-flight home success of the season.
Potter, who believes the value of home advantage has decreased due to games being played without supporters, admits halting the lengthy wait for a league win in Sussex would ease the pressure on his side.
“We want to try and improve that record,” he said.
“Anybody will say that if you’re winning your home games, everything becomes a little bit easier.
“You can see how the games have gone this year, the home advantage is less and less.
“You just have to keep fighting and know that – home or away – there’s an opportunity to win, as well as to lose.
“You have to have that respect of the opposition and the league. We will do our best to turn it around.”
Potter expects to have midfielder Adam Lallana (groin) and striker Aaron Connolly (hamstring) back in his squad following their respective fitness issues, although neither is likely to start.
Injured trio Tariq Lamptey, Alireza Jahanbakhsh and Danny Welbeck remain sidelined for the Seagulls.
