Sir Alex Ferguson claims he will only be thinking about picking up three points when Manchester United head to QPR on Sunday.
United have won five of their last six Premier League matches since their heavy 6-1 defeat to Manchester City in October.
Their 4-1 victory over Wolves last weekend, coupled with City's 2-1 loss at Chelsea, meant that United closed the gap on the leaders to just two points.
A victory at Loftus Road, where they have not played since March 1996, would move them a point above City, who host high-flying Arsenal later in the day.
But Ferguson is concentrating on the long-term as he attempts to find a way to finish above ever-emerging City.
"It's going to be a hard game but hopefully we can get our form back and by the end of the month be challenging for the league," he said.
"By that time you've got an idea about what you have to do and who the definite dangers are.
"I think the important thing is to win our game first of all and not worry too much about what happens elsewhere.
"At the end of the season it will matter in terms of who drops the most points in the run in and every teams carries its own kind of pressure.
"We carry the expectation, everyone expects us to have a certain level and you see the criticism when we were knocked out of the Champions League and that's something we're well used to.
"But we respond well and come the second half of the season we'll have a chance."
Ferguson has been impressed with QPR's start to their first season in the Premier League since they were relegated in 1996.
The United manager has enjoyed his previous trips to Loftus Road and thinks that Neil Warnock managing to sign the likes of Joey Barton, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Anton Ferdinand will give Rangers a chance of survival.
They are four points above the relegation zone, while fellow promoted teams Swansea and Norwich have also fared well.
But Ferguson feels that the big test for those three teams will come in the second half of the season.
"They invested the right way and brought players in. The owners and Neil Warnock realised that if you're in the big league you've got to get better players and that gives them a better chance, no doubt," he said.
"It's an unremitting league in terms of the demands on teams coming out of the Championship but the three of them have done very well.
"Norwich and Swansea have taken to it and adapted to the demands of the Premier League from the Championship in the first half of the season and the real test is the second half."
Dimitar Berbatov returns from an ankle problem but Ferguson has a host of other injury concerns for the match.
Tom Cleverley, Michael Owen, Fabio and Rafael are all sidelined and Nemanja Vidic, Darren Fletcher and Anderson are all out long term.
QPR left back Armand Traore will face United for the second time this season and admits he is still haunted by his first meeting with Ferguson's side, having featured in Arsenal's 8-2 defeat at Old Trafford.
"I'm mentally ready to face United again. For me the game was forgotten as soon as I joined QPR. I will treat Sunday's match as I do any other," he said.
Warnock's side have struggled recently, having lost four of their last six Premier League games.
The manager is hopeful striker DJ Campbell will return to boost his side's chances of improving a return of just 15 goals from 15 league games.
Midfielder Kieron Dyer, however, has been ruled out for the season after being told he must undergo an operation on a foot injury sustained on the opening day of the season.
Source: AFP
