Tottenham must move beyond their "dominant" rivalry with Arsenal if they are to rediscover their best form and challenge at the top of the Premier League table once again, according to former striker Dimitar Berbatov.
Just over a year after they finished as runners-up to Liverpool in the Champions League final in Madrid, Jose Mourinho's side could miss out entirely on European action next season as they find themselves locked in a mid-table tussle.
Having parted ways with long-term boss Mauricio Pochettino in November following a poor run of form, Spurs have won less than half of their top-flight fixtures since and trail their north London rivals by a point ahead of this weekend's derby encounter.
With a particularly congested race for continental football this term, the club face the prospect of being limited to domestic action only for the near-future, unless they can turn around their uneven fortunes.
Speaking ahead of the visit of Mikel Arteta's Gunners, Berbatov - who helped fire Juande Ramos' Tottenham side to an EFL Cup triumph at Wembley in 2008 - has admitted that Tottenham's tenure as the most successful club on their patch could come to an end if Arsenal stay ahead of them.
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But the former Bulgaria captain stressed that his old club need to be aiming higher than their neighbours if they hope to resume their position in the upper echelons of English football.
“Spurs have been the dominant side in north London for some time, but that could change now," he told the Mirror .
“At the end of the day this is about pride, but you can’t forget they want to be even higher in the table. As a former player of the team and a fan, I know Spurs can do a lot better than they are at the minute, looking at the position they are in.
“Their goal shouldn’t be about competing with Arsenal – it should be about competing with Liverpool and Manchester City. What is the point of battling it out with Arsenal if you are only fighting for eighth or ninth position?
“They might finish above Arsenal, but you don’t get a trophy for that. For both teams the goal should be about qualifying for the Champions League and challenging the teams on top.”
Heading into the north London derby, Arteta's Arsenal are nine points adrift of fourth-placed Leicester City, while Mourinho's Spurs are 10 points behind.
Neither side are still competing in Europe, with Tottenham knocked out of the Champions League by RB Leipzig in March and Arsenal were knocked out of the Europa League by Olympiacos.