Ian Baraclough insists Northern Ireland have adopted a big-game mentality for their latest Nations League clash at Windsor Park.
While the visit of Kosovo might not be the most glamorous fixture, the result could go a long way to determining Northern Ireland's fate in League C2.
It could also impact on which pot Baraclough's side goes into for next month's European qualifying group draw.
Read more: Davis hoping to turn "negative narrative" into success story
He said: “I know some people have described the Nations League as glorified friendlies. You can dress it up how you like, but there is something on it.
“There is promotion or relegation. For us it’s been a chance to try different things. We would like to win games along the way, but it’s not ideal for us to be trying that during a Euros or World Cup.
“I just get the feeling with this one that because of the results in June, there is a real focus from the players, not that there wasn’t in June, but you get what I’m saying.
“We want to finish the tournament off with a positive.”
Baraclough added: "A lot of work has gone on down the years to improve our coefficient and our rankings, and in the past that has allowed us to get a decent draw in qualifying campaigns. And that has improved our chances of qualifying for major tournaments, which is our aim.
"So clearly we don't want to drop into pot five, as it makes the task a lot harder when it comes to the draw next month and when it comes to the games next year."
READ NEXT:
- Kyle Lafferty thrown Northern Ireland lifeline despite squad axe
- The Jurgen Klopp text messages pushing Conor Bradley to the next level
- Glentoran footballers team up to support Survivors of Suicide garden
- "Bright spark" Conor McMenamin deserves to keep Northern Ireland spot
Sign up to our free sports newsletter to get the latest headlines to your inbox.
