Jim Goodwin believes victory in Sunday’s derby could set Dundee United up for a shot at Europe.
The Tangerines have defied their newly promoted status by occupying a top six Premiership place for much of the season.
With four games to go until the split, United have a five-point cushion over seventh placed Hearts.
Their manager revealed his side are already on the cusp of hitting their pre-season, pre-split points target.
But with the league tightening up on a weekly basis, he accepts they cannot afford any slip-ups.
He said: “We set a target for ourselves way back at the beginning of the season of 45 points.
“I think over the last 10 years, the average [for a top six place] has been around about 43.
“Dundee, a couple of years ago, got in with 39 points but because the league has been so competitive this year, we have set ourselves a higher than average target of 45.
“I still think that’s where it needs to be at.
“We’re four points away from that with four games to go before the split.
“We’re bang on track to achieve that objective that we set for ourselves way back in August.”
Victory in Sunday’s Dundee derby would go a long way to helping United achieve their goal.
And if they secure it, then, says Goodwin, the possibility of Europe will open up.
He said: “Obviously, top six is what our objective is now.
“It’s only natural then that you start getting a bit greedy because we’ve had such a good start that we put ourselves in this position.
“We’ve not been out of the top six all season. That is a realistic objective now.
“If we achieve that, then of course you start thinking about European places.
“Depending on how results go at the weekend, the incentive is there for us to push for the top three places in the league.
“Everything is to play for. We just have to stay focused and keep working hard.”
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