Leicester City must stay in touch with the leading teams if they are to keep their automatic promotion dreams alive, said manager Nigel Pearson.
After Saturday's home defeat to top-of-the-table Cardiff City, Pearson's side slipped to 10 points behind the Bluebirds and seven behind today's rivals Hull.
Pearson said it was vital City got something out of today's huge Boxing Day clash at the KC Stadium.
"We have to try and come out of the game with something, hopefully a win," he said.
"Ultimately, we have to bring our best game because they are a side who we don't want to get further away from us.
"It was a missed opportunity on Saturday in that we had an opportunity to close the gap. We had a lot of chances to score and didn't."
Pearson said he is expecting a tough encounter against Steve Bruce's men, who have won their last four games.
"They have hit a rich vein of form at the moment and are clearly playing with a lot of confidence," he said.
"They play an interesting system (3-5-2) which suits the players they have got, so we will have to be at our best if we are to win the game. We have to be a bit more ruthless in front of goal than we have been in the last two games.
"We need to get back to winning ways pretty quickly."
City had 13 shots on target against the Bluebirds but failed to convert any of them, and Pearson said City must start to take their chances.
"The games we are playing are generally tight games but, unfortunately at the moment, it is not quite happening for us in terms of turning those games into wins for ourselves," he said.
"There is not a great deal wrong in terms of how we are playing. I would be concerned if we weren't creating or hitting the target.
"We have to remain focused on doing what we are doing, which is putting together a promotion push.
"At the minute, things haven't gone our way, but it will turn for us."
City have an injury concern over striker Jamie Vardy, who limped off on Saturday with a heel injury.
"Vardy has a knock which he picked that up at the end of the first half," said Pearson.
"It got to a point where he didn't feel he could keep going. I don't know if he will be fit for Hull."
Leicester City agreed a deal on Christmas Eve that will see Jermaine Beckford remain at Huddersfield until the end of the season.
The 29-year-old striker has scored three goals in eight games since joining in September.
He will be ineligible for City's New Year's Day clash with Huddersfield at the King Power Stadium.
