Steven Davis believes that a top-eight finish would make for a successful season at Southampton.

The Saints, who saw a three-match unbeaten run come to an end when they were beaten 3-0 by Manchester City in their last outing on April 15, aren’t in action again until they make the daunting trip to Premier League title-chasers Chelsea next Tuesday.

Claude Puel’s men have games in hand on most of the teams around them in the table and Northern Ireland international midfielder Davis reckons that he and his team-mates should be striving to make the most out of their final seven matches of the current campaign.

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“Overall, if we were to do that [finish in the top eight], then we could look back on the season with a lot of good memories and experiences,” said the 32-year-old.

“Hopefully we can now take that on into future seasons. Again, it was a summer of change at the top, with the manager and a change of personnel in the team.

“So with all of that to contend with and then to come into the season with a game every three days right up until Christmas; we dealt with it all relatively well and now we just want to finish strongly and show our true qualities.”

Middlesbrough manager Steve Agnew insists that his team will fight to the last, despite another hammer blow to their Premier League survival hopes.

Second-bottom Boro endured a miserable trip to the South Coast as they were hammered 4-0 at Bournemouth, leaving them nine points from safety with five games of the season to go.

Wednesday’s Tees-Wear derby against Sunderland at the Riverside is next on the menu for Agnew’s troops and he is maintaining an air of optimism ahead of another crucial chapter in Boro’s battle to beat to drop.

“The players have fighting spirit and will continue to fight,” said the Boro manager, who replaced Aitor Karanka last month.

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“We’re all very disappointed but we have to dust ourselves down.

“We’ve got a huge challenge ahead but it’s still alive.

“We have Sunderland and we have to go into the game as positive as we can.”

Agnew also made a point of praising the hardy souls that made the gruelling trip from the North East to Dorset to cheer on Boro.

He said: “They’ve had a tough season, the supporters, but they always get behind us.

“We haven’t won [in the Premier League] since December, so it’s been difficult.

“But they continue to support us home and away, and it’s something we’re all proud of.”

Marouane Fellaini hasn’t always been the most popular figure among Manchester United fans but the Belgian midfielder believes he is starting to hit top form under Jose Mourinho.

The Red Devils have been on a great recent run in their push for a top four finish, including a 2-0 win over leaders Chelsea last weekend, with Fellaini playing an increasingly important role.

And he explained that regardless of how things have been going, he has kept working hard to take his chance when it came along.

“I feel like I have been playing well in the last few games,” he said.

“When the manager puts me in the team, I give absolutely everything for the cause. I have confidence in the manager and the staff.

“I’m confident, I know what I can do, so I feel good in my mind and my body. I keep going and keep working hard and, when I get a chance to play, I always try to do well.”

Fellaini’s importance was underlined by his selection as captain a fortnight ago when United took on Sunderland, and the Belgian relished the responsibility.

“It was my first time as captain in my professional career – I had worn the armband when I was young and when I was at Everton for a friendly match – but this was the first time officially,” he added.

“It was a pleasure to be the captain. I think a lot of players can be the captain in this team, we have a strong squad. There is a lot of character and good players.”

Kevin De Bruyne is desperate to sign off Manchester City’s first season under Pep Guardiola in style – starting with this weekend’s FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal.

The Citizens head to Wembley on Sunday to take on Arsenal while De Bruyne and co are also involved in a nailbiting race for the top four in the Premier League.

The two sides met in the league last month, in a game that finished 2-2, and De Bruyne is adamant his side are raring to finish off the current campaign on a high.

They have found some fine form at the end of the season, downing Southampton 3-0 last weekend, with De Bruyne in particular impressing, and Guardiola’s side will head to Wembley full of confidence.

“It’s a semi-final and must be settled on the day, so it is do or die,” said De Bruyne. “We’ve played well away from home, scored goals, and hopefully we can play well, win this game, get to the final, and end the season with a trophy.

“Arsenal are a very tough team. We only played them a few weeks ago and of course, we ended up drawing 2-2 after leading twice, so we perhaps should have gone on and won.

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“They’ve had a difficult few weeks with results but they won at Middlesbrough on Monday and we know they will be up for this game as much as we are, and I’m certain it will be a really good game between two teams who play good football.

“They’ve had a very good FA Cup record over the past few years but that doesn’t count for anything on Sunday.

“We’re going into the game on the back of a really good performance at Southampton and we feel in good shape.

“We just want to end the season as strongly as we can in the FA Cup and in the Premier League because we still have a lot of work to do to secure a top-four finish.”

Christian Benteke has thrown his support behind Amnesty International’s “Football Welcomes” initiative this weekend, celebrating the contribution refugee footballers have made to the sport.

The Crystal Palace striker is one of a small number of refugees to play football at a professional level, having originally been born in Zaire – now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo.

At aged two he was relocated to Liege, Belgium, by his parents due to political unrest in the country, going on to play international football for the European nation.

This weekend sees Amnesty International joining forces with teams in the Premier and English Football Leagues to pay tribute to their achievements, 80 years since the very first refugees played professional football in the UK.

Benteke said: “From my own personal point of view I would have to say that I hope refugees are treated like anyone else and like normal human beings, whatever their story. For me, I know how hard it is.

“I feel proud and it shows nothing is impossible. When you have a dream in your head you have to do everything to make it possible and even though it is going to be harder you can still do it.”

The European dream may be over for Leicester City, but captain Wes Morgan insists the Premier League champions can look back on their campaign with pride.

The Foxes were the last remaining English side in the competition before exiting at the hands of Atlético Madrid, in the quarter-final stage, earlier this week.

But for former Nottingham Forest stalwart Morgan, his side’s efforts in trying to overturn a one-goal deficit were something to be proud of.

With Atletico one goal up on aggregate, and with the added advantage of an away goal, it was always an uphill battle for Craig Shakespeare’s men, but according to Morgan there is no shame in defeat.

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“It was a big effort from the boys. Obviously, it’s not the result we wanted but we have to be proud of ourselves. We gave it our all,” said the defender.

“We threw everything we had at the goal late on and they had a few blocks off the line.

“We tried our best, we needed to get three goals, we could only get one, but it was a huge effort from the boys.

“We kept knocking on the door throughout the second half. We went very direct, trying to win every second ball. Credit to Atlético, they defended well and got a few vital blocks at vital times.”

Stoke City’s campaign may have been disappointing but manager Mark Hughes insists they can finish with a flourish and ensure their fans enter the summer break in optimistic mood.

The Potters have secured their Premier League status for another year, but results and performances have left a lot to be desired for large parts of the campaign – with several big guns misfiring and an over-reliance on the likes of Peter Crouch and Jonathan Walters the source of crowd frustrations.

But Hughes is desperate to finish on a high note, with winnable games against West Ham, Bournemouth and Southampton to come, as well as a clash with Arsenal.

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“Expectations are rising every year and this year – maybe because of the expectation – there’s a little bit of disappointment at how the season has panned out,” he said.

“But if we just step back a bit from that slight disappointment, I think, overall, we can see we’re still a strong side in this league, pushing to do things that have never been done here.

“You don’t want to be ending seasons with the attitude that there’s nothing there [to play for] and it just peters out.

“That’s certainly not what we’re trying to do with the games we’ve got remaining.

“It’s about really pushing now. We’ve got really good confidence from last weekend [a 2-0 win over Middlesbrough] and good games to come as well that we can enjoy.

“So hopefully that bit of freedom that should be in our play will help us.”

Burnley boss Sean Dyche insists that he isn’t losing any sleep over the future of England defender Michael Keane.

The 24-year-old defender is out of contract at the end of the 2017-18 season and has naturally been linked with a move away from Turf Moor after an impressive Premier League campaign with the Clarets Clarets – which also Keane, whose first taste of international football actually came for the Republic of Ireland at U17 level, make his Three Lions debut in March.

Manchester United, from whom Keane joined Burnley in September 2014, are heavily credited with an interest in the Burnley man – the Red Devils also agreed a 25 per cent sell-on clause on the England centre-half, which would aid any potential deal – while Liverpool, Everton, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal have all also been linked.

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However, Dyche says that the Clarets have moved into a position where they no longer need to sell their most prized assets.

“Nothing has changed. It’s an ongoing situation. Keano knows where he stands with it,” said the Burnley manager.

“It’s quite obvious he’s got his eyes on the target for us as a club with his performances and international recognition, which I think was thoroughly deserved.

“All parties are in the loop with how we see the future unfolding.

“He is under contract and if anything happens, it will be appropriate to all parties and fit in with all parties.

“We are a different animal from what we were a few years ago. We are in a very strong business situation.

“The thing that has changed massively in my time here is we now control these situations.”

It may be all doom and gloom at the Emirates presently after a disastrous run of form in the Premier League but Arsenal defender Nacho Monreal is targeting Wembley success this weekend.

The Spanish full-back has happy memories of playing at Wembley with Arsenal, having lifted the FA Cup with the Gunners in 2014 against Hull and then again 12 months later against Aston Villa.

Monreal, who was also part of the Arsenal side that won the Community Shield in 2015 at Wembley, is the favourite to start at left back for Arsene Wenger’s men against Manchester City in Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final ahead of England defender Kieran Gibbs.

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Manchester City will undoubtedly start as the overwhelming favourites to progress to May’s FA Cup final but after claiming a morale-boosting 2-2 draw at the Emirates earlier this month against Sunday’s opponents, Monreal is confident of more Wembley success.

“The FA Cup is our target – and finishing in the top four, because honestly, we can’t win the Premier League,” Monreal said.

“It’s a good opportunity to show the Arsenal fans that we can win trophies. We are in the semi-final against Manchester City; it’s going to be an amazing game.

“We are playing in Wembley, it’s always something special when you play there and of course, I want to win, I want to play the final and win the final. We won two FA Cups in a row in the past and we can win again.

“When you finish the season and you have won something, it’s always special and we want to repeat it.”

Burnley’s Robbie Brady is facing a reunion with his old club when Manchester United visit on Sunday, and the winger is hoping his good form will lead to him getting back on the goal trail.

The Clarets winger could start at Turf Moor for the first time since his full debut, when he scored a stunning free-kick against Premier League leaders Chelsea in January.

The Republic of Ireland international admitted he’s taken time to settle in after joining Burnley midway through the season, but is now enjoying his football much more.

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“I was disappointed with the first few games. When you first come in you want to do your best and give your best but sometimes that doesn’t go,” said Brady.

“But as the weeks have gone on I have settled in, I feel more relaxed and I am enjoying my football.

“I was happy with the goal [against Chelsea]. I haven’t got one since then but hopefully I will get a couple more before the end of the season.”

Brady started his career with Manchester United after moving over from Dublin as a teenager, but soon moved away to increase his game time.

“I wanted to play for Manchester United but it was difficult at the time. They had so many players and so many great players that were there,” said Brady.

“I went on loan and played some football at Hull and I really enjoyed playing week-in, week-out.

“That was a massive factor and I felt at the time it was going to be best for me to go and play and try and develop and get out of the comforts of Manchester United and it was the right decision.”