Daniel MacKay knows Livingston's hopes of Scottish Premiership survival have already been written off by most.
The Lions have won just three league games this season and face Celtic, Aberdeen and Hearts before the split.
They are 10 points adrift at the foot of the table, and it would take an unlikely story for them to remain in the top-flight.
MacKay, 22, acknowledges the magnitude of the task ahead, but reckons approaching the final eight matches with a fresh approach could bolster their chances.
Speaking ahead of Celtic's visit to the Toni Macaroni Arena, the winger said: “We’ve just got to give ourselves the best opportunity over these next three games to leave ourselves with something to play for after the split.
READ MORE: What Celtic have to do better if they want Premiership consistency
“You never know what can happen after that because you’re playing five games against other teams that have either been struggling all season or have just missed out on the top six.
“We’ve just got to make sure we put ourselves in a good enough position going into the split where we can still fight to stay in the league.”
MacKay is on loan from Hibernian, where he still has a further year on his contract, but was in no mood to discuss where his long-term future will lie - having failed to make the grade since joining the Leith club in summer 2021.
He confessed: “I’ve no idea what’s happening at the end of the season. I’ll wait until the end of the season to decide what’s going to happen.
“At the moment I’m focused on being a Livingston player and keeping Livingston in the Premiership.”
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