Thursday 3 May 2018 14:56, UK
Stoke manager Paul Lambert says keeping the club in the Premier League would rank alongside winning the Champions League in his list of achievements.
Lambert won Europe's elite competition as a player with Borussia Dortmund in 1997 but he faces an equally tough test if he is to guide the Potters to top-flight survival.
"I've been really fortunate to win the Champions League as a player and win league titles but keeping this club up would be up there in terms of my achievements," said Lambert.
"The most important thing is the club stays up. For me it would be massive for us to stay up but it would be bigger for the club."
Stoke are three points adrift of 17th-placed Swansea ahead of Saturday's game at home to Crystal Palace - live on Sky Sports - before they travel to the Liberty Stadium to face the Swans on the final game of the season.
The five teams above them in the table all have a game in hand on Stoke, who have not won in their last 12 league outings, meaning they could already be relegated by the time they head to south Wales on May 13.
But Lambert is keen for his players to focus purely on the games they face and let others worry about the possible permutations.
"It's clear for everyone we have to win on Saturday. We will try and play as well as we have been and try to get the victory," he added.
"We have been playing well but have just lacked a killer pass and a bit of luck at times. There is plenty of belief in the squad we can get out of trouble.
"We just have to try everything we can to score goals. We did everything we could to get a result at Anfield last weekend [a 0-0 draw]. We played a good game and picked up a point no one expected.
"There is no point looking at other teams doing you favours, you have to go and do your job first and foremost which is what we're aiming to do.
"I expect a really tough game on Saturday. Roy Hodgson has done a great job at Crystal Palace.
"They are practically safe so whether that's a good or a bad thing for us I don't know. We just need to make sure we are on the front foot to win the game."
Watch Stoke v Crystal Palace on Saturday. Coverage begins on Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Main Event at 11:30am.
