Jose Mourinho wants his Tottenham side to stay in touch with Chelsea before their blockbusting Premier League match later this month.
Spurs were 12 points behind Mourinho's former club.
Chelsea visit the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on 22 December for what is sure to be an intriguing clash and Mourinho wants his side to still be within touching distance.
"We play Chelsea at the end of December, if the game was tomorrow, we would play them with six points difference, it would be a fantastic situation to play them," Mourinho said after his side beat Bournemouth 3-2 on Saturday.
"But we play them in the end of December. We have to keep close, as close as possible. But we have a lot to work and a lot to improve."