Richard Cockerill has said that Leicester Tigers cannot afford to be "complacent" during their Aviva Premiership match against Gloucester this weekend.

This afternoon's results have left the defending champions four points outside the playoff places ahead of tomorrow's meeting at Welford Road.

The team's director of rugby told the Leicester Mercury: "You have got to be careful of all sides. We are not taking anyone for granted. We are not in good enough form to be complacent. We haven't got the luxury of having a buffer zone to lose games.

"You lose a game you should win, and suddenly you are struggling to keep track on the top four. It is whoever blinks first between Bath, Harlequins, us, Sale and Wasps. Exeter have had a couple of results that have gone against them.

"Out of that group of teams, we need to be the ones that hold fast and make sure we are not the ones that drop points that we should get. This period is going to be important for us all."

Leicester have lost just one of their last five matches in the Premiership.