Southampton defender Jose Fonte has conceded that his side face an uphill battle to secure European football next season following their defeat to Stoke City.
The Saints took the lead in the first half through Morgan Schneiderlin, but Mame Biram Diouf brought the Potters level early in the second period and Charlie Adam won the game for Mark Hughes's men with a late strike at the Britannia Stadium.
Fonte has admitted that he and his teammates were greatly disappointed to miss out on the three points given their rivals' inconsistent form.
He told reporters: "Manchester City have been struggling and that's why we are kicking ourselves. We lost to two goals and we don't really know where they came from.
"We know the top four is going to be difficult now, but while it's still mathematically possible we will keep fighting because the Premier League is unpredictable and you never know. There are still five games to play, we have a lot to play for and we need to pick ourselves up because it's a massive game coming up.
"I don't think we need to lift our spirits up because the game speaks for itself. We know what's at stake, we don't need any extra motivation. There's that added bit that Pochettino is coming back, but it's a big game because it's Tottenham and we want to finish above them."
Southampton are seventh in the Premier League with five games remaining this season.
Simon Sinclair
