Jamie Vardy is adamant his Leicester side have the spirit and quality to return to the European stage.
The Foxes have now gone five games without a win, despite a valiant display at Liverpool on Saturday — where they led through the England striker’s early goal, but ended up getting beaten.
That has seen the gap to the six teams at the top of the Premier League become an unbridgeable chasm.
But seventh could still deliver a Europa League place, and striker Vardy pointed to the character his side showed against the Reds as evidence their confidence has not been dented by the recent run.
“It was hard to take, we fought so hard to the end, but it just wasn’t to be,” he said after the 2-1 defeat at Anfield.
“But you could see at the end we were fighting all the way. That shows the spirit and togetherness we have got, we have to take that as a positive from this game and take it into the next one.”
Leicester now welcome Huddersfield on New Year's Day, and victory would catapult them right back into the fight with Burnley – currently seven points ahead in seventh – and Everton for a potential European place.
And for Vardy, that is a realistic prospect, even if he admits there is another target to tick off first!
“First and foremost, we are like any team and you need to get to the magic number to keep you in the league,” he said.
“Then after that you set yourselves other targets and see where you can finish. We have not got the points, but we will hopefully pick them up in the next game then reassess where we are and where we can finish this season.
“We need to bounce back after a result that was difficult to take.”
Vardy also faces the romantic prospect of a return to Fleetwood in the FA Cup this week and he realises it is an incredible story.
The striker spent a memorable year at the little Lancashire seaside club in the Conference before signing for Leicester in 2012, scoring 34 goals in just 42 matches.
“It will be great, it will be a great day. There will be a good atmosphere up there and a few faces I know so it will be good to see them as well.
“It will be good to go back there and play with some ex-team-mates – there is only one left I think! It will be good to see Pondy! [Fleetwood's stalwart defender Nathan Pond, who has spent over a decade playing for them]. There are staff there as well I still know.”
Leicester will still be without Danny Simpson and Robert Huth in defence for the visit by Huddersfield.
Full-back Ben Chilwell could return and summer-buy midfielder Adrien Silva will FINALLY be available as a Foxes player after months in transfer limbo.