Caley Thistle defender Gary Warren is confident his side will qualify for European football, despite losing 1-0 at Partick Thistle on Saturday.
Inverness remain in pole position to finish third in the Scottish Premiership with a seven-point cushion on Dundee United, who have one game in hand.
Warren returned from a two-game suspension for Saturday’s trip to Firhill but was unable to prevent his side succumbing to Steven Lawless’ late winner.
But the 30-year-old believes his team-mates possess the resolve needed to qualify for next season’s Europa League with a top three finish.
He said: “We now have nine league games left and it has become like a mini-league for us.
“We have to try to pick up as many points as we can. We are playing teams who are scrapping for their lives at the bottom. The games are all difficult, but losing to Partick was disappointing.
“We missed out on a chance to open up a 10-point gap on Dundee United.
“We have a lot to look forward to in our remaining games and it is down to us to kick on over the closing stretch.
“It will be tough as every team is desperate for points, but we have to show how much we want to finish in a European spot.
“The squad have been outstanding all season and now it is about crossing that finishing line.”
Warren admitted his side was far from its best during a poor second-half display against Alan Archibald’s Partick.
The Caley Jags return to action with a home match against Dundee a week on Saturday following this week’s international break.
Warren added: “We have had quite a few games recently where we have played well in the first half but failed to come out the traps quickly enough in the second half.
“That was the case against Partick Thistle – we didn’t play to our potential like we did in the first 45 minutes.
“I didn’t think they were going to score as they didn’t really put us under too much pressure.
“However we didn’t take our chances in the first half and we were made to pay. It felt a bit like we were victims of a smash and grab job, but it was our own fault as we didn’t play as well as we can.
“We could have stepped up another two or three gears but didn’t manage to.”