Fitness fight: Spurs winger Gareth Bale (centre) has an
ankle injury
Thursday, 22 December 2011
Tottenham v
Chelsea
4:00am (Fri
Morning)
Mio 102 /
110
Tottenham may have to do without Gareth Bale for
Thursday's crunch clash against Chelsea after manager Harry
Redknapp revealed the pacy winger is struggling with an ankle
injury.
Bale sprained his ankle during training on Friday and
missed Sunday's 1-0 win over Sunderland at White Hart
Lane.
The Londoners felt Bale's absence dearly as they lacked
the pace and penetration the Welshman offers in devastating fashion
down the left flank, and they received another blow when Aaron
Lennon had to come off in the first half with a suspected hamstring
tear.
Redknapp said: 'Bale has sprained his ankle. He just did
it in training. He thought it was okay, then he went home had a
little rest and couldn't put any weight on it.'
The Spurs boss is more confident about Jermain Defoe's
chances of being available.
The striker also sat out the win over Sunderland, which
came courtesy of a Roman Pavlyuchenko strike, because of a
hamstring problem but should be available for the game against the
Blues.
Early exit: Aaron Lennon limped off during the first
half against Sunderland
'Lennon has got no chance for Thursday. It'll be weeks if
it's a tear,' Redknapp said.
'There's every chance Defoe will be fit. He's only got a
grade one tear and he's desperate to play, the little
fella.'
Sunderland went back to Wearside unlucky not to have taken
a point in what was Martin O'Neill's second game in
charge.
The Black Cats dominated parts of the first half and would
have scored had Brad Friedel not saved well from Kieran Richardson
and Sebastian Larsson.
Optimistic: Jermain Defoe could be in the Spurs side to
face Chelsea
O'Neill's tenure at the Stadium of Light started well
after his team came from behind to snatch a victory against
Blackburn, but the euphoria around Sunderland soon made way for
disappointment after it emerged that Nicklas Bendtner and Lee
Cattermole had been arrested on suspicion of criminal
damage.
'I have spoken to them,' O'Neill said of the duo, who both
started the game on the bench.
'What you have to do is wait for legal process to run its
course.'
