Neil Warnock admits Cardiff City have to win their remaining two games if they want to ensure automatic promotion.
The Bluebirds 3-1 defeat in the controversially rearranged game at Derby County on Tuesday left them one point ahead of third-placed Fulham.
But they could be two points behind the Cottagers by the time they travel to Hull City on Saturday.
Fulham are at home to already relegated Sunderland on Friday night and Warnock is not expecting ex-Wale manager Chris Coleman’s demoralised side to do him any favours.
City end their season at home to Reading in their final game on May 6 while Fulham travel to Garry Monk’s Birmingham City.
Warnock said: “There is no two ways about it, we need to win two games.
“All you can do is your best, and that’s all I have asked my players from day one.
“To get 86 points in the situation we were in is amazing.
“If you said to me on July 5th when we started training, ‘you need to win your
last two games to get promoted’, I would have snapped your hands off.
“You just don’t know in the league, anyone can beat anyone, you don’t know what’s around the corner.
“All credit to the players, they’ve been brilliant. I won’t dwell on the mistakes, we’ll dust ourselves off and go again.”
Warnock insisted he had no plans to watch Fulham’s game with Sunderland on Friday which could heap all the pressure on the Bluebirds ahead of the game at the KCOM Stadium.
He added: “I might watch something like the Queen. I’ve recorded it on Netflix.
“So I might watch two or three of them.
“Birmingham won’t be easy. You just don’t know in this league do you. Anybody can beat anyone else. Burton battered Derby didn’t they.
“That’s why I love the league really because you don’t know what’s around the corner.
“I’d like to think there was hope. I think Chris will be glad when the season ends. You don’t really want to be going to Fulham when you’ve already been relegated.
“They’ve got some young kids at Sunderland who might get a run out, but it’s not about goal difference.
“In a way, I know it sounds silly, but we know what we’ve got to do.”
Callum Paterson gave City the lead in the game at Pride Park which was rearranged after the original fixture was originally called off on safety grounds due to snow.
But former Bluebirds striker Cameron Jerome and a goal from sub Matej Vydra after some disappointing City defending gave Derby the win and set-up the two game shoot-out with Fulham for second spot.