Friday 13 April 2018 15:42, UK
Fulham boss Slavisa Jokanovic refuses to set his sights beyond the next game, in which he expects his side to deliver against West London rivals Brentford.
Jokanovic has overseen Fulham's 20-game unbeaten run, which he believes stands his side in good stead for their match against the Bees on Saturday evening, live on Sky Sports.
"We have great momentum," Jokanovic said. "I trust we'll perform well and if we do that, I expect we'll have a good result.
"If we are focused enough we are 100 per cent capable of showing ambition and being successful. The players trust each other and trust they can win the games - trust is necessary for us to perform well."
He does recognise the challenge represented by tomorrow's derby at Craven Cottage, acknowledging it would necessarily be "different". Brentford ran out 3-1 winners in the reverse fixture at Griffin Park.
"They are a tough opponent. They try to play in a similar style; they won their last three games and kept three clean sheets.
"We both want to have possession, dominate and attack. It can be one of the best games of the season."
Despite their strong run of recent form, which has left Fulham second in the Championship, Jokanovic refused to speculate on his side's chances of achieving automatic promotion at the end of this season - his sights instead focused squarely on the task immediately at hand.
"We don't need to think about second place or about promotion, we must be thinking about the next chance in front of us," he insisted. "My target is only Brentford, I am not looking so far behind or ahead.
"We decided a long time ago to go step-by-step and it's positive. It's not necessary to think about where we are right now.
"We can't celebrate if we win the game. We must push forward.
"After this chance tomorrow, we will think about next steps and that's it. My ambition is always to win the next game - with this desire we can be successful.
"We'll do our job and we'll see where we finish."
There is little margin for error, he suggests, with Cardiff City - Fulham's main competition for second place - breathing down their necks.
"I don't see any opponent that can win against Cardiff," he admitted. "They are strong, they are physically impressive. It's not easy to play against them.
"They are 100 per cent favourites for tomorrow when they play Norwich. Surprises exist in this championship, but I don't think they'll be surprised tomorrow."
