Northern Ireland boss Lawrie Sanchez believes his underdogs will be in the shake-up for reaching the European Championships if they get a victory out of either of their next two qualifiers.
Sanchez's men got off to a dreadful start in their bid to reach the 2008 finals when they were beaten by Iceland, only to turn their fortunes around with a famous win over Spain followed by a draw in Denmark and victory against Latvia.
A trip to Liechtenstein and then a home clash against Sweden is next up in March, marking the halfway point of the qualifying campaign.
'If we play like we did against Spain and Denmark for the rest of the campaign, we'll be there or thereabouts,' Sanchez said on BBC Northern Ireland's Season Ticket programme.
'If we go into the halfway break with ten points, it will stir us up. We're a long way from qualifying for a championships but, if we get the points from our next games, it will be interesting for the end of next season.'
Following their impressive recent form, Northern Ireland have broken into the top 50 of FIFA's rankings for the first time.
They are placed 45th in the world in the latest rankings - higher than the Republic of Ireland for the first time.
Sanchez added: 'Fans don't expect us to win every game but they expect pride from players wearing the shirt - and they have that now.'
