Crusaders boss Stephen Baxter will challenge his players to inject some fizz into their festive schedule against league leaders Linfield at Windsor Park.
The Seaview men, who lie third in the table, are in the midst of a daunting December and have yet to record a league win this month.
A shock 1-0 home loss to David Jeffrey’s Ballymena United a fortnight ago preceded a 1-1 draw with Glentoran at The Oval last weekend.
With a Boxing Day Derby against fierce rivals Cliftonville lying in wait in five days time, the Crues are staring at a Christmas crossroads.
Lose at Windsor and they’ll trail the Blues by six points with two more games played. Win and they’ll be in the thick of the title equation.
“The big games are coming thick and fast this month, but we will navigate our way through it,” said Baxter.
“We had Glentoran last Saturday and we now face Linfield and Cliftonville. They are all huge games, but challenges we will relish.
“It’s a 38-game campaign and there will be ebbs and flows. If you’d handed me a top-four position at this time of year, I would have taken it.”
Baxter, chasing his fourth league title in six seasons with the Crues, agrees the current top flight is one of the most competitive in recent memory.
Larne’s emergence as a force and Glentoran’s summer investment have intensified the race for top-six football and major honours at the top end of the table.
“Having so many high profile games is great for our league and the quality of the teams we now have is unbelievable,” said Baxter.
“Everyone wants a good, competitive league and I believe we have that. There isn’t a lot of difference between any of the top six clubs.
“There is nothing easy and the teams are evenly matched. They can all beat each other and with every team improving it provides a higher profile for the league.”
Linfield, who lie two points clear of the chasing pack with two games in hand, are also in the midst of a challenging festive schedule.The Blues, chasing back-to-back titles for the first time since 2012, travel to derby rivals Glentoran on Boxing Day and second-placed Coleraine next Saturday.
Boss David Healy said: “There could be a lot of twists of turns in the coming days, but we have to look after our own results.”
Crusaders hope to have captain Colin Coates back in the frame after he picked up a back strain at the Oval last week.
Listen to the full episode of That's What I Call Football podcast featuring Crusaders striker Jordan Owens right here:
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