Livingston manager Marvin Bartley is wary of a backlash from "wounded animal" St Mirren in West Lothian on Saturday.
The Buddies are two places above bottom side Livi in the Premiership table but have lost three games in a row, including a 5-0 hammering at home to Motherwell last weekend.
Livingston have been improving under Bartley – they lost to a last-gasp goal at Celtic then drew 2-2 with Dundee and Rangers – as they try to fight their way off the bottom.
Lose at Livi on Saturday and Stephen Robinson's side will be just seven points off the bottom with a game in hand.
"St Mirren are a real, real tough team and I was surprised [by the heavy defeat to Motherwell]," boss Bartley said.
"But also Motherwell are probably the best footballing team in the league and if they get on top in a game and score at the times they did, then St Mirren go down to 10 men, it makes it more difficult.
"But they'll be like a wounded animal coming here, and my players know that. We came in on the Monday and I said, what's happened in the Rangers game is done with.
"Now we have to look forward to the St Mirren game because if we don't perform to those same sort of levels, we could be on the end of one of those scorelines that St Mirren got against Motherwell, because that can happen in this league."
Livi midfielder Emmanuel Danso admits Saturday's match feels like "one of the biggest games" in his team's survival quest.
"People always try to downplay the team at the bottom and they feel like maybe they don't have the quality," said Danso.
"But me seeing the performance of the team and also the group as well, I feel like we deserve better. But the only option is for us, the players, to get ourselves out of it.
"We are fully confident that we're going to get ourselves out of the situation."
