JAMES Ward-Prowse believes Saints possess all the qualities necessary to finish in the top four, as they prepare to continue their Champions League charge against West Ham.

Saturday’s dramatic win against QPR moved Ronald Koeman’s side back up to third place in the table, with 14 games left in the season.

Saints’ next pair of games will see them host two of their challengers for European qualification, with Liverpool arriving at St Mary’s after the Hammers.

Those matches could have a significant bearing on the team’s prospects of finishing in one of the coveted top four spots, and Ward-Prowse insists that not only do they deserve to be in those positions now, but that they have the tools to be there at the end as well.

“There’s a lot of people in the summer who doubted us and didn’t think we’d be where we were today, but we’ve got the qualities, we’ve got the fighting spirit, we’ve got the right mentality and it’s just a case of making sure we carry that on for the next 14 games or so to ensure that we are there or thereabouts come the end of the season,” he said.

Ward-Prowse, who explained the team are “very optimistic” they can finish in the top four, continued: “It is literally each game as it comes.

“We’re focused on the opposition, we know their strengths, know their weaknesses and I think as long as we keep applying ourselves right and being professional there’s no reason why we can’t win the next two games and the ones after.

The nature of Saints’ victory at QPR, with Sadio Mane scoring the winner deep into added time, further increased the belief among the players that they can finish the job, according to Ward-Prowse.

“I think everyone was thinking ‘It’s heading for a draw’, but it’s a good sign that we can win games and not play well, and I think that’s a trait of a top team in the league, is they can go to places and battle and fight and not get anywhere, but then still produce the magic, and I think we did that as a team on Saturday, and did very well,” he said.

Saints’ first win of this incredible season came against tomorrow night’s opponents, when they won 3-1 at Upton Park in August.

Even at that early stage, it felt like a pivotal result, with the commanding nature of the performance helping to draw a line under the turbulence of the summer.

Ward-Prowse expects to see a different West Ham this week, however, and knows it will likely be a game where Saints’ physicality will be tested, along with their football ability.

“I think being who we are now and where we are in the league, people do see [winning against] us as beating a big giant, a big team, so every team that comes to St Mary’s will have that sort of feeling, and their sort of fighting skills will be more evident, but I think we’ve got the strength and the quality to match that and then obviously to provide our quality going forward and score goals,” he said.