Dele Alli believes Tottenham's bitter rivalry with Chelsea has now usurped the north London derby against Arsenal.
Alli says there is more hatred from Spurs' players towards their Stamford Bridge counterparts - while conceding the Arsenal game is still probably bigger for the fans.
Tottenham and Chelsea have had numerous memorable games over the last few years, including the 'Battle of the Bridge' in 2016 where the Blues came back from 2-0 down to earn a point and hand the title to Leicester.
The game is remembered for being a tempestuous affair with some Spurs players lashing out in frustration as the match approached its conclusion.
And Alli believes the magnitude of the dislike between the two sets of players is now greater than the rivalry with Arsenal.
"I think if you ask the fans they will give you a different answer, but as players - the way things have been going with the league and the games - the rivalry with Chelsea is bigger than the one with Arsenal, because of what they have done to us in recent years," the England midfielder told Copa90.
"For fans it’s different, because the North London derby is massive, but as players I think it’s Chelsea."
Chelsea have enjoyed the better of their games against Tottenham this season, securing a league double over Spurs in Frank Lampard's first season as manager.
They won 2-0 away from home in December before beating Jose Mourinho's two side 2-1 at Stamford Bridge in February before the season was brought to a halt by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
As things stand, Chelsea occupy the fourth and final Champions League spot (pending Manchester City's appeal against their ban from European competition) while Tottenham are languishing in eighth, seven points adrift of the Blues.
