Dundee United captain Ryan Edwards has urged his Tannadice team-mates to develop a ruthless streak and claim a top six spot.
United face the first of three crucial games before the split as they travel to Paisley to face St Mirren on Saturday.
They then face a trip to Hibernian before hosting the Dundee derby.
Wins in those three games would secure top six football and put United in a commanding position for European football.
But Edwards knows they must learn lessons from the way Celtic punished United in Monday’s Scottish Cup quarter-final and develop a cutting edge.
“In the Celtic game you saw how fine lines and ruthlessness can win games,” said Edwards.
“Celtic showed it and it’s what we need more of. We need to be more ruthless in front of goal.
“That’s really important going into the last three games before the split.
“This is probably going to be decided on the last day and the Dundee derby.
“There are clubs from fourth to ninth who are all saying the same thing.
“We all need to win every game.
“We only have one at home but we have beaten Hibs away and at St Mirren we could have finished the game in the first half.
“There is nothing to fear. We don’t have to go to Ibrox or Celtic Park.
“If we are being positive, we have winnable games. That’s the vibe around the place.
“We are confident going into the games. The derby takes care of itself.
“It will be a full house and hopefully we will already have points on the board.
“We have three big games to go. There are nine points to play for and we want all nine.
“Every team will be saying the same thing but we need to make sure we produce better results than they do.”
Ryan Edwards: We need Dundee United support behind us
Edwards believes the United fans also have a pivotal role to play in the run-in.
The United fans created a carnival atmosphere during the cup clash with Celtic and have travelled in numbers to back their side this year.
“We took a good following to Paisley and Easter Road before,” added Edwards. “Hopefully we get even more this time.
“We need them to be that focal point to drag us through when we need them. There will be times when we need them.
“There is also a lot of experience in our dressing room and we need that right now too.
“We have a good blend of experience and youthful energy. We need to pick every bone out of that and give this a real go.”
