Tottenham Hotspur striker Roberto Soldado believes that he and his teammates "deserve" to play in the Champions League.

Spurs are currently fifth in the Premier League with 53 points from 28 matches, four points behind fourth-placed Manchester City, who have two games in hand.

"March is going to be very vital for us and as you say, it might define the season," the 28-year-old told Sky Sports News. "The good thing about it is that we are going to be playing against a lot of our closest rivals and with victories in those key games, it means you can really close the gap on the people who are above us.

"It is a good period to be going through and certainly we are all going to be looking forward to it as a squad and working hard to make sure the results go our way. Playing in the Champions League for a player is the top thing you can do at a club level.

"You only have to be standing there in the stadium and you hear that theme music and you know it's going to be an exciting game. Spurs are a massive club and they deserve their place in that competition and hopefully this season we can achieve it."

Soldado joined Spurs from Valencia last summer.