Champions
League
Venue: White Hart Lane Date:
Wednesday 9 March Kick-off: 3.30am
MY PREDICTION: 2-0
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Projected
Tottenham Hotspur lineup (4-4-2): Gomes; Assou-Ekotto,
Dawson, Gallas, Hutton; Pienaar, Jenas, Modric, Lennon; Defoe,
Crouch
Projected AC Milan lineup (4-3-3): Abbiati;
Jankulovski, Nesta, Silva, Abate; Flamini, Seedorf, Merkel; Pato,
Ibrahimovic, Robinho
Tottenham player to watch: Gareth
Bale. An obvious pick, no doubt, but the Welshman is
without doubt the player that Milan will be paying closest
attention to. Though he missed the first leg due to injury, Bale
made his comeback from a six-week injury against Wolves on Sunday
and should return to the starting line-up. Milan will be acutely
aware of his two formidable performances against their city rivals
Inter in the group stages and the Italian club demonstrated at the
San Siro they are vulnerable to pace in wide positions. Bale has
the skill, speed and direct style to give the visiting defence a
torrid time.
Milan player to watch: Zlatan
Ibrahimovic. The Swede's previous visit
to North London saw him score twice for Barcelona against Arsenal
last season, even if he is accused of failing to impress against
Premier League sides. A force of nature in Serie A, where he has 14
goals and 11 assists already this season, Ibrahimovic saw a late
equaliser at San Siro disallowed and will once again spearhead the
Rossoneri attack, possibly alongside Alexandre Pato. When
in peak form, there is no better exponent of the striking role, but
once again intense scrutiny will be placed upon him as he faces an
English team. If he answers those critics, Spurs could suffer.
Source from BBC football
Tottenham winger Gareth Bale will be given
until Wednesday to prove his fitness for their Champions League
last-16 second-leg tie with AC Milan.
Manager Harry Redknapp said Bale trained on Tuesday and showed
no ill-effects from his long-standing back problem, but his legs
were a bit stiff.
"His back's fine but he was stiff in the legs," stated
Redknapp.
"It's touch and go. We'd love to start with him but if he's not
quite right I wouldn't want to take a chance."
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There is better news on Dutch playmaker Rafael van der Vaart,
who has not played since Spurs' first-leg 1-0 win in Milan because
of a calf injury.
"Van der Vaart has a good chance for Wednesday, I hope he'll be
fit," said Redknapp.
Winger Bale made his first appearance since 22 January when he
came on as a substitute in Sunday's 3-3 Premier League draw at
Wolves.
"When Gareth came on and started to run with the ball, it was
exciting," added Redknapp. "We've missed that for the last five or
six weeks.
"That was his first real exertion for six weeks. He started
straight away to run with the ball and when he does that, he scares
people to death.
"He carries the game at the opposition and that makes a massive
difference."
Milan beat Juventus 1-0 on Sunday ahead of the second leg at
White Hart Lane and while Redknapp is planning an attacking
strategy, he is concerned by his side's defensive frailties.
In addition to the goals conceded at Wolves, Tottenham also let
in three at Blackpool in their previous fixture.
"There were lots of positives for me from the [Wolves] game but
we just didn't defend well in a couple of positions and that is a
problem," stated the Spurs manager.
"Conceding goals is a concern. Conceding three at Blackpool was
a concern. It is disappointing to let three goals in, especially
when you score three."
The Italians will be missing three key players for the match -
Andrea Pirlo and Massimo Ambrosini are both injured, and Gennaro
Gattuso was already ruled out through suspension even before he
launched his notorious post-match attack on Spurs coach Joe
Jordan.
Coach Massimo Allegri recognised his side could not afford to
repeat their first-leg display but he had confidence in their
ability to overturn the deficit.
"We can do it because we're a strong team and we're in good
shape, physically and mentally," he commented.
"The first leg was a strange game. We know that Tottenham is a
strong team and we can't commit the errors made at the San
Siro."
Bale, who produced a dazzling one-man show when Spurs played
Milan's neighbours Inter in the group stages, has attracted the
attention of the Serie A outfit.
Allegri said he was all too aware of the threat the Welshman
posed but he felt they could deal with him.
"He's a very important player with great physical and technical
attributes but Tottenham isn't just Bale," he stated.
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Source from Skysport
There was some good news at least from the clash with Wolves as
Gareth Bale made his return from a back injury with a lively cameo
as a substitute.
The Welshman has felt some stiffness in the legs over the past
couple of days and is not guaranteed to start against Milan, but
his presence in the squad will give the Serie A leaders plenty to
ponder.
Bale produced his two most blistering performances of the season
against Milan's local rivals Inter in the group phase, scoring a
stunning hat-trick in a 4-3 defeat at the Giuseppe Meazza before
inspiring Spurs to victory in London.
Rafael van der Vaart is also available after recovering from a
calf problem and is likely to start in support of a lone
striker.
Crouch could get the nod to lead the line despite the
goalscoring displays of Defoe and Pavlyuchenko at the weekend,
while Lennon is also likely to be recalled to the starting
line-up.
Corluka has overcome the ankle injury he sustained in the
challenge with Flamini and could replace Alan Hutton at
right-back.
If Corluka is selected he will once again come into direct
competition with former Arsenal player Flamini, who has hit back at
Redknapp for criticism of his conduct in the first leg.
The other controversial figure from the San Siro, Gattuso,
begins a five-match European suspension following his furious
bust-up with Jordan.
He had already picked up a yellow card in the first leg that
would have ruled him out of the trip to England, before the
touchline altercation resulted in an extra four-game sentence being
handed down by Uefa.
As well as Gattuso, Milan will be without the injured duo of
Andrea Pirlo and Massimo Ambrosini.
Massimiliano Allegri still has a formidable array of attacking
talent at his disposal, including Alexandre Pato, Zlatan
Ibrahimovic and former Manchester City striker Robinho.
The Rossoneri have won three matches in a row since the first
leg, most recently beating Juventus 1-0 on Saturday, to tighten
their grip on top spot in Italy.
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