LONDON -- Mauricio Pochettino has urged his players to ignore the occasion and focus on the "battle on the pitch" when Tottenham visit the Boleyn Ground for the final time on Wednesday.
West Ham and Spurs share a long history of animosity, and the Hammers will be desperate to beat their London rivals in the last meeting between the clubs at Upton Park before they move to the Olympic Stadium next season.
Tottenham fans derisively describe their annual visit to East London as West Ham's "cup final" and, this season, the Hammers have the twin motivation of boosting their own European hopes and derailing Spurs' title bid, which has picked up speed with six consecutive league wins.
Pochettino, however, is unconcerned by what is sure to be a heated atmosphere and encouraged his players to focus only on themselves.
"It is not important," the Spurs head coach told reporters when asked about the West Ham supporters. "The most important battle is on the pitch. We are 11 and they are 11. We arrive in the game in a very good condition and for me off the pitch is not important.
"I'm not focusing on them. I know what it means for us and our supporters. This is the most important thing. They are allowed to feel whatever they want but for us it is important game. It means a lot. The three points are very important for us. The game is a derby and always a derby means more than just three points."
Pochettino praised the fans following Sunday's 2-1 win over Swansea, hailing the "perfect connection" between players and supporters in the comeback win at White Hart Lane.
In previous seasons, the Tottenham faithful might have been frustrated by their team's failure to break down a dogged and unadventurous Swansea before Nacer Chadli's 70th-minute equaliser, but the hosts were applauded off the pitch at half-time, despite trailing 1-0, and the supporters remained encouraging throughout.
Pochettino believes the fans recognise the players' "respect" for the club, adding: "For me it is key because always the supporters are very important.
"For the players they are very important to feel the support from them. When the team shows respect, it is not about winning or losing -- it is about the respect they show for them and for the club that they play for.
"During the whole season, in every game, win or lose, the team shows respect for the club, for the love of the badge. This is very important and our supporters recognise that. That is special because our supporters love Tottenham. Our players respect that so we create a big link."
Key to a seventh consecutive league win will be stopping Dimitri Payet, West Ham's creator-in-chief, but Pochettino said he does not have a plan for the Frenchman, while he is unconcerned about the state of the Boleyn Ground pitch.
"We know he [Payet] is a very good player, with a lot of quality," he said. "For me, [the way] we try to stop them is always to defend as a team, so there's no special attention on him.
"It is not a concern about the pitch, only that the circumstances are different. We need to adapt quickly, it is not an excuse. We play against a very good team. It is not an excuse when we play.
"Always you need to be aware about the circumstances. It is true, it does not look so good because it is normal, the weather is not like in Spain. It is not important for us."