Saturday 28 April 2018 11:23, UK
Jack Butland is still confident Stoke can avoid relegation from the Premier League, starting with victory against Liverpool at Anfield, live on Sky Sports on Saturday.
Paul Lambert's side are currently 19th in the table, four points adrift of safety having played a game more than Southampton in 18th and Swansea in 17th.
Draws against West Ham and Burnley in recent weeks have kept alive Stoke's survival bid but they still face a difficult task to beat the drop, but Butland insists a win against Liverpool in the early kick-off can transfer the pressure onto the teams above them.
When asked about his side's chances of avoiding relegation, he told Sky Sports: "Are we confident? Always. You've got to be.
"It can be easy to come in and be downhearted or give up but it's important that we don't. You have to stay upbeat. We're picking up points - not the three we'd like - so the gap is closing but we need three points now.
"We've shown we can score goals and get ahead and we've shown lately we can be a lot better defensively as well. The signs are there but this is the stage of the season where talking's not enough - we need to do it on the pitch.
"Until it's mathematically impossible, you keep going. I believe other teams have tougher run-ins and the next two games we kick off earlier than everyone else. Despite having a game less than some of the teams we're chasing, it's an opportunity to transfer pressure back to them.
"Only we can control our destiny now and what's gone before is irrelevant; it's all about Anfield on Saturday, Palace next week and Swansea on the last game of the season. The points are there to be won and I believe we can do it."
"We're picking up points - not the three we'd like - so the gap is closing but we need three points now."
With the threat of relegation hanging over Stoke, speculation has started to build regarding Butland's future with the England goalkeeper linked with a move away from the bet365 Stadium.
However, Butland insists he is not thinking about leaving Stoke, focussing only on keeping the club in the Premier League.
"(A move) is something I don't intend to happen, I don't want that to happen," he said. "I love the club, love the fans and it's been an incredible time for me. I'm here, I'm contracted and I want to keep this club in the Premier League.
"Until that changes, I'm not thinking about what's next. There's a World Cup to look forward to that I want to be involved in but before that, it's about keeping this club in the Premier League."
Next up for Stoke is a daunting trip to Anfield to play Champions League semi-finalists Liverpool.
Jurgen Klopp's side blew away Roma 5-2 in the first leg of their semi-final encounter at Anfield last Tuesday with the second leg at the Stadio Olimpico next Wednesday.
And with a European final on the line in Rome in next week, Butland says the game against Stoke could be difficult timing for Liverpool.
"It could be less than three wins that we need but we're going to Anfield to win," he said.
"Coming between two massive Champions League games, they could take their eye off it or they could go strong; we don't know, but we have to make sure we're in the game for as long as we can to give ourselves the opportunity to win.
"I don't think there's ever a good time to play this Liverpool team. They have serious quality and every time you play in front of a crowd like that it's going to be tough. We're not expecting it to not expecting to be easy but we have to make sure it's not easy for them."
