Bolton defender Andy O'Brien does not believe the club's continued UEFA Cup success is having a negative effect on their Premier League battle.Gary Megson's side will face Sporting Lisbon in the last 16 of the UEFA Cup at the Reebok Stadium on Thursday following an impressive victory over Atletico Madrid in the last round.

But they are currently one place outside the relegation zone in the league, level on points with 18th-placed Reading and will have to face Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Aston Villa before the end of the season.

Yet O'Brien is not worried by the idea of fighting on two fronts.

"I don't think the cup is a distraction," he told the Manchester Evening News.

"There is a difficulty in terms of the team changing from game to game, but the UEFA Cup is a prestigious competition - it's a reward for having had a good season the previous year.

"But we know the Premier League is our bread and butter and our main priority."

With so many teams struggling in the bottom half of the table, many believe teams will need significantly fewer than the traditional target of 40 points to survive this year.

But O'Brien still believes his team-mates should be aiming to reach that milestone if they want to ensure they are playing top-flight football next season.

"People usually say if you get to 40 points you will be safe, and I think if we get that total we should be all right.

"But it's not going to be easy."

More Football News from TEAMtalk