Michael O'Neill admits it is 'essential' Northern Ireland get their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign off to a winning start as they prepare to face Estonia and Belarus at Windsor Park.
The other teams in Group C are Germany and Holland, which means Northern Ireland realistically cannot afford to drop any points in the opening two games.
The following fixtures are away to Estonia and Belarus in June, so O'Neill accepts he has to bank as many points as possible before taking on the two European heavyweights.
Michael O'Neill admits Northern Ireland must get off to a winning start in their qualifiers
Asked about the importance of beating Estonia on Thursday night and Belarus on Sunday - two teams ranked below Northern Ireland at 96th and 78th in the world respectively - O'Neill said: 'It's essential really, there's no point saying otherwise.
'Look, if you didn't get results you still have games to make up the arrears. But if we're realistic, we have to do everything possible to win the two games.
'Our other two games are Germany and Holland, so without being disrespectful to Estonia and Belarus these are two of our easier games at home.
'You would imagine Estonia and Belarus will be tougher games away from home in June as well, so the way the fixtures have come out means these games are essential to give us momentum and an opportunity to put points on the board.
Northern Ireland face the Euro 2020 qualifiers off the back of a poor Nations League campaign
'When you're a smaller nation you need to be out in front. It's very difficult to try and come from behind in a qualifying campaign when you're a small nation. We'll be aiming to do that.
'The players are under no illusion. We've looked at the group and talked through the scenarios, but that's all talk at the end of the day.
'You can plan and plan, we have to go out and perform. The onus will be on us to perform tomorrow night and set ourselves up three points and for the second game.
The games in June will be much easier if we've got maximum points out of these two games.' If Northern Ireland cannot finish ahead of Germany and Holland, they are likely to have a chance of qualifying through a convoluted Nations League playoff system despite finishing bottom of their group last year.
But Michael O'Neill's side have a good recent record with just one home defeat by Germany in the qualifying stages in the last four years
But O'Neill has not given up hope of upsetting the odds by finishing in the top two after guiding Northern Ireland to their first ever
