chrissivad
Staff
- May 20, 2005
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Tottenham Hotspur v Inter Milan
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Venue: White Hart Lane Date: Tuesday 2 November Kick-off: 1945 GMT
Coverage: BBC Sport website, BBC Radio 5 live and Sky Sports 2
For more on live coverage please visit Geez's Live Media Thread
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2[ar]
Inter will advance with a win; Spurs look to peg back champions
Tottenham have the chance to right the wrongs of their defeat in Italy a fortnight ago when Inter Milan travel to White Hart Lane for a crunch UEFA Champions League encounter.
The Nerazzurri swept Spurs aside in the Guiseppe Meazza after a stunning first half which saw Harry Redknapp's men ship four goals leaving them battered, bruised and on the ropes.
But the 10 men battled valiantly after the break and Gareth Bale sent shockwaves across Europe after netting a superb hat-trick that handed the visitors a respectful 4-3 defeat.
All eyes now turn to North London for Rafa Benitez's first return to England since departing Liverpool during the summer, and he arrives in the knowledge that victory would see his side advance to the last 16 with two games to spare.
The European champions currently top of Group A with seven points from three games while Tottenham have so far managed a draw at Werder Bremen and a home win over FC Twente.
However, Benitez did not find White Hart Lanea happy hunting ground during his time in the Premier League and his last three visits all ended in defeat.
And with Spurs scoring four times in both their last two European fixtures at home, against Twente and Young Boys in the qualifying round, it is all set up for an intriguing tie.
Tottenham's only previous home meeting with Italian opposition was against Inter's arch rivals AC Milan in the 1971/72 Uefa Cup semi-final, when Steve Perryman's brace earned them a 2-1 comeback victory and they then went on to secure a 3-2 aggregate triumph en route to winning the competition.
If the modern crop can produce a similarly historic performance then it would put them in an extremely strong position to advance to the knockout rounds in their debut Champions League campaign.
2[ar]
Team news
They have been handed a massive boost with the news that Dutch playmaker Rafael van der Vaart trained on Monday following a hamstring injury picked up in the defeat atManchester United on Saturday.
Spurs lost the game at Old Trafford in controversial circumstances after goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes threw the ball onto the ground in expectation of a free-kick, only for Nani to catch him unawares and slide the ball home to seal a 2-0 triumph.
The old adage 'play to the whistle' was lost on the Brazilian despite a blatant handball in the build-up, and he will not have the opportunity to put the incident to bed after being sent off against Inter last time out.
Carlo Cudicini will therefore come in for the suspended Gomes, while Tom Huddlestone is expected to return after recovering from an ankle knock.
Michael Dawson (knee) and Jermain Defoe (ankle) remain sidelined while Younes Kaboul is likely to continue alongside William Gallas in the heart of defence as Ledley Kinghas not featured since limping off against Fulham last month.
Inter travel to London on the back of a 1-0 victory over Genoa in Serie A on Friday, and Benitez's men currently sit second in the Italian top-flight.
However, during that win midfielder Esteban Cambiasso and goalkeeper Julio Cesarwere both withdrawn with hamstring injuries and are major doubts.
Last season's star forward Diego Milito has not played since picking up a thigh strain whilst playing for Argentina
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2[ar]
Rafael van der Vaart and Tom Huddlestone look set to be fit to face Inter Milan in the Champions League.
Van der Vaart trained on Monday and looks to have shrugged off the hamstring strain he picked up against Manchester United on Saturday.
Huddlestone missed that match with an ankle injury but is expected to be fit, while Carlo Cudicini is likely to start in goal with Heurelho Gomes suspended.
Inter Milan have concerns over Esteban Cambiasso and Julio Cesar.
Midfielder Cambiasso and keeper Cesar both came off during Friday's 1-0 Serie A win over Genoa with hamstring strains.
Spurs lost the away match 4-3 after the early dismissal of Gomes but Gareth Bale scored a marauding hat-trick after the defending champions had taken a 4-0 half-time lead.
Inter lead Group A with seven points - Spurs are second on four points - and the Italian giants will reach the last 16 if they complete the double over Spurs.
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