BLACKBURN boss Mark Hughes has described tomorrow's crunch game with Tottenham Hotspur as possibly the biggest of his 18-month Ewood reign.

If Rovers were to win at White Hart Lane, they would go level on points with the fourth-placed Londoners in the battle to secure Champions League football.

However, a defeat for Rovers in the capital would leave them six points adrift of Spurs, and a place in the top four, with a significantly inferior goal difference.

The game is therefore a massive six-pointer but, unlike in recent seasons, the ultimate prize at stake on this occasion is European football, not mere Premiership survival.

"We had games last year against the likes of Southampton, Crystal Palace and Norwich which had a real significance because we were at the wrong end of the table at the time," said Hughes.

"But we're at the top end now and this is a huge game for us tomorrow.

"From now to the end of the year, every game we play will be of real importance but, as players and managers, those are the ones you want to be involved in at this stage in the season.

"We don't just want the season to drift to an end, and there's absolutely no chance of that happening. We want to kick on now and this is the perfect game for us.

"After the Manchester United game, when we put in a great performance and got a great result, we then went into two games against Everton and West Brom where a lot of people expected us to pick up points, but we weren't able to do that.

"Now we've just beaten Arsenal and the fact we have got another game against the team directly above us is perfect for us."