Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has warned his squad that they must not throw away their recent good progress.
Spurs are second in the Premier League form table after a six-match unbeaten run which has included five victories.
The London club will move level on points with fourth-place Newcastle if they can overcome top-flight newcomers QPR at White Hart Lane in a game which they are expected to win.
Spurs face Fulham next week before hosting Aston Villa and they then go on to play West Brom, Bolton, Stoke and Sunderland before Christmas.
Those fixtures suggest Tottenham have a good chance to cement themselves in the Champions League places, but Redknapp is wary of getting carried away given that his team threw away a number of points against teams from the lower reaches of the league last term.
Faced with games against Blackburn, Wolves, West Ham and Wigan, Spurs buckled in February last season and they lost the top-four position they had held for most of the early part of the campaign.
Redknapp does not want a repeat this time around.
"I always think when you start looking at that (fixtures you should win) you normally come unstuck," he said.
"Last year I looked at those fixtures and said: 'Yeah, we have a good run coming up here. We can really put some points in' and we had our worst spell of the season.
"Every game is difficult now. You only have to look at the results last week. Norwich went to Liverpool and got a point.
"You couldn't see that coming. You couldn't see Chelsea losing at QPR either."
The highlight of the club's recent good run came four weeks ago when they overcame rivals Arsenal 2-1 at White Hart Lane.
Like Spurs, the Gunners started the season poorly, but have rallied recently, with the loss at White Hart Lane their only defeat in their last eight matches.
Redknapp feels Spurs' north London rivals have turned a corner now they have key players like Thomas Vermaelen and Laurent Koscielny fit.
"Arsenal suffered when they lost one or two key players and now they are getting a couple back," the Spurs boss said.
"They are starting to play well now. It's about having your best players. You need your best players available if you are going to be consistent and pick up the right results."
QPR head to White Hart Lane on the back of their controversial 1-0 win over Chelsea at Loftus Road last weekend.
Rangers had seemed to be in for a long and hard campaign when they were hammered 4-0 at home by Bolton on the opening day of the season, but, with the help of Tony Fernandes' millions, the west London club are now up to 10th.
With Fernandes set to open his chequebook again in January, hopes are high among Hoops fans that their team are on the verge of becoming a major threat in the Barclays Premier League, but Redknapp has warned them not to get too carried away.
"I can see them establishing themselves in the Premier League," Redknapp said.
"I think that has to be the first aim for them. I am sure that's what Neil (Warnock) would take.
"He has done a great job this year - same as the other two lads who have come up - at Swansea and Norwich. They are both doing fantastic.
"If at the end of the year, if QPR can stay in this division then they can look to establish themselves in the Premier League."
Redknapp will assess William Gallas to see if he is fit to play.
The Frenchman, one of Tottenham's most consistent performers last year, has been prevented from playing this year due to two calf injuries.
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