- Jul 27, 2004
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Well we have finally done it, we have won a trophy :grin: but, things don't stand still and we still have the Uefa Cup to win and we have to push on in the league to keep this momentum going. With that in mind we travel to Birmingham today look to avenge what was a travesty in the reverse fixture earlier in the season and with the possibility of seeing some squad players used to rest our heroes from Sunday it maybe be a little harder than people were expecting.
The Official Site Team News:
Wembley match winner Jonathan Woodgate is a doubt for Saturday's trip to Birmingham in the Barclays Premier League.
The central defender's man of the match display against Chelsea came despite picking up a sprained ankle in the first half of Sunday's final and he's unlikely to feature at St Andrews.
However, there is good news on the defensive front as Michael Dawson (hamstring) and Gilberto (calf) are both close to a return to full training.
Benoit Assou-Ekotto is progressing well from a knee injury while Gareth Bale hopes to come out of the protective boot on his damaged ankle next week.
Skysports.com Preview:
Carling Cup winners Tottenham return to Premier League action with a testing trip to Birmingham on the agenda.
Juande Ramos gave his squad two days off after their Wembley triumph over Chelsea, which ended their nine-year wait for silverware.
Spurs have improved under Ramos' reign, but they remain in the bottom half of the Premier League table, and are eight points adrift of West Ham in 10th.
With one trophy in the cabinet and a place in next season's Uefa Cup already assured, the Spaniard will need to ensure his players remain focused for the remainder of the campaign.
Birmingham have no chance of relaxing as they sit just one point above the relegation zone in the tightly-packed battle against the drop.
Alex McLeish's side claimed an invaluable point from their infamous 2-2 draw against Arsenal thanks to James McFadden's last-gasp penalty, but the match was overshadowed by the horror injury suffered by Eduardo da Silva.
Taylor banned
Martin Taylor serves the first game of the three-match suspension he must serve for the challenge which left the Croatia international with a badly broken leg.
Liam Ridgewell is expected to overcome a slight ankle problem to start in central defence, with Radhi Jaidi tipped to fill Taylor's bots.
Midfielder Olivier Kapo will not feature because of a hamstring injury so Gary McSheffrey can expect to start on the left flank.
McFadden and Mikael Forssell, who was substituted after Taylor's red card, will start up front while Cameron Jerome (hip) faces a late fitness test.
Woodgate worry
Spurs' Carling Cup hero Jonathan Woodgate, who headed home the extra time winner, could miss out after injuring his ankle during the Wembley triumph.
Ramos may be forced to field a different central defensive pairing with skipper Ledley King likely to be rested, but Michael Dawson (hamstring) remains a doubt.
BBC Match Squads (take with a pinch of salt):
Tottenham Squad (from): Robinson, Cerny, Chimbonda, Hutton, Lee, Gunter, Rocha, Kaboul, Zokora, Tainio, Jenas, Huddlestone, Malbranque, Boateng, Taarabt, O'Hara, Lennon, Berbatov, Bent, Keane.
Squad (from): Maik Taylor, Kelly, Ridgewell, Jaidi, Schmitz, Murphy, Queudrue, Parnaby, Larsson, Muamba, Johnson, Nafti, McSheffrey, McFadden, Forssell, Jerome, Doyle, De Ridder.
Interesting Stats:
Alex McLeish began his managerial career at Birmingham, with a stunning 3-2 win over Tottenham in the reverse fixture on 2 December, courtesy of a startling injury-time winner from Sebastian Larsson. But it was the first of only two victories in 13 Premier League outings in his stewardship.
The Brummies have drawn their last three, the longest current sequence of stalemates in the Premier League. They could register their longest such string since logging five in a row on 24 October 2005. But they will want a victory to increase the one point cushion between themselves and the drop zone.
Spurs run out for the first time since lifting the Carling Cup, and being static in 11th place, will consider a Uefa Cup and League Cup double as the priority now.
Tottenham have scored as many league games away from home as Birmingham have managed at St Andrews (15).
The Blues are gunning for their first double over Tottenham since 1975-76.
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Right, that's enough fuel for this fixture, kick off is at 15:00 GMT - check [thread=28099]Geez's Media Coverage Thread[/thread] for watching and listening options.
COME ON YOU SPURS!
[SIZE=-4]Lots of information courtesy of the BBC and SkySports[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-4]Don't forget to head over to SC's live chat during the game. For more info click the banner below.[/SIZE]
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[SIZE=-4]Lots of information courtesy of the BBC and SkySports[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-4]Don't forget to head over to SC's live chat during the game. For more info click the banner below.[/SIZE]
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