Paul Hartley believes Dundee may have to win three of their next five matches to make it into the top six.
Saturday’s defeat to St Johnstone has made their task much harder, and the Dark Blues’ pre-split Premiership fixture list is a daunting one.
Celtic are up next on Sunday at Dens, followed by Aberdeen (home), Ross County (away), Hearts (away) and Hamilton Accies (home).
And according to Hartley, who yesterday received the Ladbrokes Manager of the Month Award for an unbeaten February, nine points is the target.
“Possibly we need to win three out of the five games,” he said.
“It’s easier said than done but we will have a go.
“We have to look behind us to. There’s not a big gap between the bottom side and the other five.
“We need to make sure that we’re safe first. That’s our first priority in the season. It’s important we stay in the league. But we’ve always tried to target top six and between now and the split we’ll try to get as many points as we can.
“There is still a chance for us to get into the top six.”
Paul Hartley: Dundee may need to win three of their next five matches
