Fulham boss Martin Jol feels their Premier League status will be decided in the next four weeks.
Stoke's trip to Craven Cottage marks the start of a four-game run that Jol thinks will make or break his season.
Fulham have close rivals QPR, Wolves and Aston Villa to come.
Jol said: "It is a crucial period because we want to get a bigger gap over the bottom three.
"Hopefully, we can do that against the teams around us. It will be a challenge."