Tudor believes European experience can aid Tottenham's growth, though toppling domestic rivals remains the main focus.

Tottenham coach Igor Tudor emphasized on Monday that his team's primary objective is to climb the Premier League table, on the eve of their Champions League last 16 clash against Atletico Madrid.

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The Croatian coach has overseen three consecutive league defeats since taking the helm, with Spurs embroiled in a relegation battle, sitting 16th, just one point above the drop zone.

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Tudor expressed his hope that the European double-header against Diego Simeone's Atletico could help his side improve, despite a deep run in the Champions League not being the main target.

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He stated, "(We must) focus on us, we're playing against a team that has a story in this Champions League, they have experience, they have quality," in a press conference ahead of Tuesday's game.

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Tudor told reporters, "We need to do our best in terms of that we need to grow, our first aim is the Premier League, this should be said publicly, it's a normal thing."

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He added, "This (competition) is something extra, but that doesn't mean we don't want to pass (through), that we don't want to go to the next round."

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In between the two legs against Atletico, Spurs will visit Liverpool in the Premier League, and after the second leg, they will host Nottingham Forest, 17th, in a crucial clash.

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Tudor noted that the Atletico clash requires a change in mindset, which could be refreshing for a team that has lost five consecutive games in the English top flight.

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He said, "Every game is important… we need to be focused on us, to grow, so it can be an opportunity," and added, "A totally different mentality aspect can be used in this kind of game, so maybe this can help us, to see which problems we have."

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Tudor also stated, "I believe these kind of games can help us to switch in the right way, but always focussed on us growing as a team, to do things better."

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He acknowledged that it is not easy to change the players' approach quickly, having arrived under a month ago to replace Thomas Frank.

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Tudor said, "I saw that the more time passes, the better the sessions are, the more quality in everything," and noted, "Sometimes old habits take more time than expected to change."

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He added, "We the staff are speaking about this every day, how fast can we make the changes, sometimes it's not easy… It's not easy to change the things you're doing for months or a year, something is moving."

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Tottenham have several players out injured, but Tudor confirmed that Djed Spence is fit to play and the team will be boosted by centre-back Cristian Romero's return from suspension.

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Tudor said, "I'm sure tomorrow he'll be a leader like he always is," referring to Romero's return.